Your Smile
by MissMinnie08
Summary: Neji is 19 and Hinata is 18, Neji is in love with Hinata, but she still loves Naruto. When Neji and Hinata are forced to marry, can he convince her to love him back? NejixHinata, don't like don't read.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Neji, exhausted from the mission he just retuned from, walked slowly to his room, too tired to move very quickly. On his way there, however, he encountered a familiar scene, one that always brought him peace. He stopped walking and watched a young woman kneeling in the garden surrounded by flowers with her eyes closed. She had dark blue hair reaching to her mid back, dressed in a simple blue kimono, with her hands folded in her lap. Eighteen year old Hinata had grown into a beautiful young woman, just as he expected. Neji continued on his way, thinking of the past.

He had meant it when he told his father that he thought Hinata was cute, and even when his father told him that it was his duty to protect Hinata, he didn't mind. He had grown fond of his little cousin; she was sweet, kind, and gentle. She smiled and took pleasure in the simplest things,…and he loved making her smile. He didn't mind that it was his duty to protect her, because he already wanted to do that, he already wanted to make sure that his Hinata would always be safe. Safe and happy and smiling, unfortunately that was the last day that he felt that way. Afterwards, it seemed that the world wanted him to hate her, not love her, and with the death of his father he immediately complied.

Instead of seeing the goodness in her like he use to, he only saw what she was lacking; only saw weakness. He was consumed with grief and hatred, with no more room for love in his heart. For years he stayed that way, thinking that way, living that way, until his fight with Hinata and Naruto. In his fight with Hinata, she had shown him that deep down it wasn't her he hated for so many years, showing what a fool he was for thinking that way. And in his fight with Naruto, he had shown him that fate and destiny are not predetermined, but are shaped in the present. Ever since then, he had tried to make up those lost years to Hinata, but he had been living so long the way he had, he found it difficult to change. Though on the inside he changed, it was difficult to show her, to tell her.

He had just finished bathing when he heard the knock at his door. He quickly put on a robe and opened his door to face the woman he was thinking about. Hinata lifted her head when the door opened, when she saw Neji before her, she smiled brightly and launch herself into his arms.

"Neji-niisan, you're back!" she said as she hugged him. He had been gone on a long term mission for three months, she had missed him. He stood there, allowing her to embrace him. She slowly let him go and gently blushed.

"I'm sorry, it's just you were gone for so long. How was your mission?"

"It went well, how have things been here?" he asked her as he went back to his dresser to brush his hair. She followed him and took a lock of his hair into her hand.

"Do you mind?" she asked. He handed her the brush while he sat with his back to her on his bed. As she brushed his long hair for him, she told him of the things going on in Konaha while he was gone.

"And…and I've decided t-to tell N-Naruto how I f-feel." She said with a blush. She had managed to get rid of her stuttering for the most part over the years, but when it came to Naruto it all came back again. Neji scowled, though him and Naruto were friends, he didn't like the idea of him and Hinata together. He turned to her.

"He is not a good choice Hinata-sama, you should choose someone else." He told her, his face expressionless, like always. Hinata looked at Neji with slight sadness in her eyes, saddened that he was not going to support her decision.

"Who would you have me like Neji-niisan?" He remained silent, for he could not think of a single man who was worthy enough to be with her. He didn't approve of her crush on Naruto, but if it made her happy, then he could deal with it.

"He better not make you cry, or else I shall make him suffer." He told her. Her face lit up.

"Thank you Neji-niisan." Just then a servant knocked on his door.

"Neji-san, Hiashi-sama wants to see you right away." They told him, he nodded. He looked back at Hinata as she started walking to the door.

"Tell me all about your mission once you finish talking with Tou-san." She said walking out of his room.

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Minutes later Neji was kneeling with his head down in front of the head of the Hyuuga clan wondering what he wanted now. Though he knew that his uncle was trying to make up for lost time with him, he didn't like the way he treated Hinata.

"Neji, you have become very strong over the years, and have become an asset to the Hyuuga clan, more so than Hinata." Neji resisted the urge to clench his fists, "Though she has growth stronger over the years as well it is not enough to be the head of this clan. The council and I have decided it was time she was to get married." Hiashi continued. Neji's mind went numb, _Hinata getting married?_ _Why is he telling me this? To tell me that my role as Hinata's protector is no longer needed? That she was to get another one?_

"Who is Hinata-sama to marry?" Neji couldn't help but ask.

"The council and I do no trust other powerful clans, they would abuse the Byakugan. So we had decided that it is best for Hinata to marry another Hyuuga." Hiashi told him. Neji clenched his jaws, so Hinata is to marry within the family. Most likely to a council member, he cringed at that thought, they were all older men who would destroy Hinata for a chance to have control of the Hyuuga clan.

"Which council member is to have Hinata-sama?" Neji asked, though he didn't want to know the answer. Hiashi stared hard at Neji.

"She is not to marry a council member. Neji, you are to marry my daughter." Neji's heart stopped for a minute, he was to marry Hinata?! No, it couldn't be! Hinata's heart would be crushed, though it was better than marrying her off to someone she didn't know, she would be getting him, instead of her beloved Naruto. Though he knew all along that her and Naruto could never be, he didn't want to be the one to hurt her, he didn't want to be the cause of her pain, but he could not refuse.

"I am honored that you have chosen me Hiashi-sama, though I do not deserve it." He said with no emotion.

"Hmph." Was the only thing Neji heard, but understood that it was a dismissal. "Bring my daughter to me." Hiashi ordered before Neji left the room, he nodded before he closed the door.

Neji found her walking in the garden again, he didn't want to do this to her. Over the years she had become special to him, he would teach her to improve her fighting techniques and she had taught him how to enjoy life. He wished that he had the power to take away the pain she would be feeling soon, but unfortunately he didn't.

"Hinata-sama." He said to catch her attention. She turned her head and smile at him,

"Neji-niisan, so are you going tell me what happened on your mission?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Hiashi-sama wants to see you." he said. Her face fell, she never liked talking to her father, she always ended up crying. She nodded and followed Neji, dreading this surprise meeting with her father. But before Neji opened the door, he said softly "Hinata-sama, I'm sorry." With his back still to her. He opened the door for her, she was confused by what he said but refrained from saying anything and walked into the room, he closed the door behind her and left.

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AN: Ok what does everyone this of this new story of mine? It's kinda rushed since I just wrote it, I'm not quite sure about this story, I don't really think I did that well on it, but I really wanted to write one about Neji and Hinata. But if you guys like it, I'll keep writing. Please no flames (can't handle those, I'd prolly cry), but I'm always open to suggestions. I know I've tons of room for improvement, so review for me and tell me what you think, k? Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"_Hiashi-sama wants to see you." he said. Her face fell, she never liked talking to her father, she always ended up crying. She nodded and followed Neji, dreading this surprise meeting with her father. But before Neji opened the door, he said softly "Hinata-sama, I'm sorry." With his back still to her. He opened the door for her, she was confused by what he said but refrained from saying anything and walked into the room, he closed the door behind her and left. _

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_Why do things like this always happen to me?_ Hinata thought while lying in her bed that night. Her eyes red and puffy from all the crying she did earlier that day. Just when she finally decided to tell Naruto how she felt, this has to happen. Her hopes and dreams disappeared before her eyes. She loved and cared for her cousin, but how was she to be a good wife to him when both of them knew her heart belonged to another.

After all these years waiting for Naruto to give her her first kiss and to be her first boyfriend, all that waiting was for nothing. Now she can't even tell him how she felt, she could feel tears forming in her eyes again, and she fought to hold them back. She tried giving herself a little pep-talk, _Neji is different, he's not like he was six years ago. Though he still doesn't talk to me very much or show any emotions, he's become a good man. But…but…but he's just not Naruto._ A sob burst from her lips, and this time she let her tears flow freely, crying herself to sleep.

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Neij put his head in his hands feeling terrible. Ever since he was fourteen Hiashi tried making things up to him by training him and letting him live in the main house, and since he was Hinata's protector, he was moved next to her bedroom. He had been listening to her cry all night. Instead of hating her like he stupidly did six years ago, he hated himself because he was the source of her pain. He wishes he could be more like Naruto, just to make her happy. He felt a sharp pain in his heart; but he could never be like Naruto, and so she could never be happy with him. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes trying to remember the good times.

**Flashback #1**

It had been a few months since he first met her and now he saw her playing in the garden. He smiled and walked towards her to talk with her. As he got closer to her, she turned her head and saw him.

"Neji-niisan!" she called to him excitedly. She got up quickly to run to him, but tripped on her kimono and fell back into the flowerbeds. He ran toward her, worried that she had hurt herself.

"Hinata-sama, are you ok?" he asked once her reached her side. She looked up to him with flower petals and stems sticking out of her hair in every direction. Tears started forming in her eyes.

"I…I'm s-sorry nii-san." He just smiled at her, happy that she wasn't hurt, and started pulling the things out of her hair. _She's so cute; I always want to protect her. Always_, he thought.

**Flashback #2**

She was under the sakura tree crying, Hiashi had yelled at her again. He felt bad for her, her didn't like watching her cry. He looked down to the ground, not knowing what to do when he spotted a small daisy. He started to smile; daisies were one of Hinata favorite flowers. So he bent down and picked the flower, he walked towards her and sat down next to her.

He didn't really know what to say to her, so he just shoved the flower into her face, hoping that she would notice it. When he did, she gasped and looked at his hand holding the flower, then back at him. He just looked at her, then at the flower still in his hand; with his other hand he grabbed her much smaller one and placed the flower into her hands. She looked down at the flower in her hand, and when she looked back up at him she wore a small smile.

"Thank you nii-san." She whispered before and suddenly moved towards him and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

**Flashback #3**

It was the night of Hinata's sixteenth birthday, it was midnight and the party had just finished a couple of hours ago. He sat in a tree in the courtyard, thinking about tonight when he heard a sweet voice beneath him.

"Neji-nii-san?" she inquired. He looked down at her and noted how different she was now. She had decided not long ago that she was going to grow her hair out, and so now it was shoulder length. Her face and body had matured and grown beautiful with each passing day. His Hinata was now all grown up. He jumped out of the tree and landed gracefully next to her. She sat down and moved her kimono out of the way.

"Sit with me?" she asked. He nodded and did what she asked of him. "Thank you for tonight nii-san." She said, he turned to look at her, but she was staring up at the stars. He too, turned to look at the night sky, when he felt her lay her head down on his shoulder and wrap her arms around his arm.

"And thank you for my gift." She whispered as she brought out the gold locket around her neck. He just smiled up at the night sky, wishing this night would never end.

**End of flashbacks**

Neji sighed as he walked back to his bed and lay down, looking out his window at the stars. "What will happen to us now Hinata?"

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A few days later both Hinata and Neji found themselves in the ever dominating presence of the head of the Hyuuga clan, Hyuuga Hiashi.

"W-what is it t-th-that Tou-san w-would like t-to discuss w-with us?" Hinata meekly asked.

"Hush you impertinent child! You wait to speak until you are spoken to." Hiashi scolded her. Though both Neji and Hinata were on their knees, Hinata tried her best to bow lower.

"F-f-forgive m-me T-T-Tou-san." She whispered.

"The council members and I have decided on the date of your engagement." He stated, as if he didn't even hear Hinata. He paused, "You two are to be engaged by the end of this week."

_WHAT_? They both screamed in their heads, trained for too long to never have an outburst of any kind in Hiashi's presence. Hinata's heart was beating fast with fear, _why…why so fast, so quickly? Naruto_! She thought to herself, feeling the tears coming again, _no, not in front of Tou-san. Please, I can't cry in front of him_. Her body trembled with her fight against her tears. She could feel her world collapsing around her; it wasn't supposed to be like this!

Neij could feel Hinata trembling beside him; he clenched his hands into fists and could feel the rage inside him. _How could he do this to her? Damn him! Damn all of them!_ He clenched his jaws together, struggling to not say a word, it was a good thing his head was already facing the floor or else they would all see his face distorted in a snarl.

"And in three months time, you shall be married." Hiashi continued. Neji was ready to lash out at him, _how dare he do this to me! To her! _He was about to open his mouth and get himself in serious trouble, when Hinata beat him to the punch.

"W-why T-To-Tou-san? W-why so s-soon?"

"Do you doubt the council's AND my decision?" he challenged her. She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. "Then do not question you elders!" he scolded again.

"Y-yes T-Tou-san." She replied meekly.

Neji hated this, he hated being so powerless. Him, the great Hyuuga genius, the best in his class, was powerless to stop this. If it weren't for this stupid seal, he would have told Hiashi to take his and the council's ideas and shove it up their asses. He couldn't say or do anything however. He couldn't tell Hiashi to just go piss off, and he couldn't comfort his beloved cousin. He couldn't stop their coming engagement, and he couldn't make her happy. He felt his heart sink at that last thought, would he never see her smile again?

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AN: Okay, here's chapter 2, I hope everyone likes it and that it's up to par. Please review, lol I'm only continuing this story for you guys, really the more reviews I get the more I get inspired to write. Any questions or suggestions you guys have, I'd love to hear them. If you think my story is terrible, tell me why, but DON'T flame me cuz of the pairing. You don't like the pairing, DON'T READ IT! But anyways, I hope everyone enjoys it. I'll update as soon as I can. Bye.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

_Neji hated this, he hated being so powerless. Him, the great Hyuuga genius, the best in his class, was powerless to stop this. If it weren't for this stupid seal, he would have told Hiashi to take his and the council's ideas and shove it up their asses. He couldn't say or do anything however. He couldn't tell Hiashi to just go piss off, and he couldn't comfort his beloved cousin. He couldn't stop their coming engagement, and he couldn't make her happy. He felt his heart sink at that last thought, would he never see her smile again?_

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A week went by since they had met with Hiashi, it was the longest week of Neji's life; it was shortest for Hinata's. She was pacing back and forth, unconsciously chewing her bottom lip, a habit she thought she got rid of years ago. It was minutes before the small ceremony. Hinata's waist length hair was up in an intricate design, with a beautiful comb embedded in it. She was wearing a beautiful white kimono with a sakura tree and blossoms design wrapped around the bottom half and the sleeves. Hanabi was watching her sister get more nervous by the second.

"Nee-san?" Hanabi inquired but got no response. "Nee-san, everything will be okay." She said with concern. She felt a little guilty, they weren't very close as sisters, probably because she was a lot stronger than her older sister. She loved Hinata, she was always kind and though Hanabi knew that she was stronger than her sister physically, she knew that Hinata possessed incredible strength of character. If Hanabi knew that this was going to take place then she would have spent more time with her sister to form a stronger bond. When she was still met with silence, she got up from Hinata's bed and went to her sister, took her sister's shoulders and shook her.

"Nee-san! Everything will be ok." Hanabi raised her voice to get through to her sister. Hinata shook herself from her daze, and looked at Hanabi and gave a small wobbly smile, and grasped her hands.

"Thank you Hanabi-chan." She said softly and breathlessly.

"At least Neji-nii-san doesn't hate you anymore." Hanabi tried to reassure her.

"Yes but…I don't know if he likes me all that much though." Hinata replied, wringing her hands together.

"Oh get a hold of yourself. Now you're just saying shit." Hanabi lectured at her. "To weeks ago you would have said that your relationship with him would be fine."

"Fine yes Hanabi-chan, for cousins, for friends. But not as future spouses." Hinata replied, trying to get her sister to understand. _Why doesn't anyone understand the position I'm in?_

"Well whatever, you guys are getting married and there's nothing you can do to stop it. So you'll just have to get use to the idea, tough shit." Hanabi felt a little guilty by what she was saying, but what else would get her sister to accept what's happening. Hinata on the other hand was appalled.

"Imoto-chan, you will not use such language." She scolded her sister. Hanabi resisted the urge to roll her eyes; _well at least I got her mind off of the engagement ceremony._

Just then a servant came in telling them that it was time to begin the ceremony. At that, Hanabi did roll her eyes, _great all that work just went down the drain_. Hinata turned fearful eyes to her sister; she could feel herself starting to hyperventilate. Hanabi's patience was at an end, she could only take so much, she walked up to Hinata and slapped her across her face. Not hard, but enough to get her attention and leave a little pink mark.

"Snap out of it! For crying out loud its not even the wedding yet! You look like you're going to your death!" she yelled at her. Hinata stared at her with shocked eyes and gently touched her pink cheek. Hanabi calmed down and looked at her sadly.

"Don't you love him? Even just a little?" she asked.

"NO! I love Naruto!" Hianta yelled back at her. Hanabi rolled her eyes again and started to walk out of the room, but before she left she turned to her sister once more.

"Do you really? Or are you just telling yourself that?" and with the question asked, she walked out to leave her sister pondering.

Hinata looked puzzled, of course she loved Naruto. She always had and she always will…won't she? But part of her wondered, why were there times that Neji made her heart race? Why were there times when she watched him train that she'd lose her breath and her heart sped? She sighed, she felt so confused. Sometimes, she knew, she wanted to be closer to Neji, closer than cousins should be.

A servant then came to get her to bring her to the ceremony. It was going to be simple; he would ask her father for her hand, her father would accept, then he would ask her, she would accept, they kiss, and then it would be over. She walked into a large room, surrounded by her family, and straight ahead stood her father and Neji. Her father had a stern expression but kept his eyes on her, Neji on the other hand looked right passed her, as if he was staring at something over her shoulder. It made her a little sad; _he can't even stand to look at me anymore._ But she kept her eyes on him, she refused to look away, to be weak like everyone thought her to be. She was still Heiress of this family, Neji is strong and probably a better leader, but she still wanted to have a say on how this family would run. _And for that,_ she reminded herself, _I must be strong, show them that I'm strong._

Neji watched her as she walked toward him, he could feel his heart beat faster with every step she took, she was so beautiful she took his breath away. Where she was wearing a beautiful kimono, he just wore the traditional clan outfit. He looked like he always did, he just decided to not tie his hair back. He could feel her eyes on him and he wanted to smile at her show of courage and backbone, he knew that Hiashi and himself weren't the easiest of people to approach, but his face remained emotionless. When she finally reached him, hey eyes turned downcast. They both got down on their knees to bow before Hiashi.

"Hiashi-sama, I would like to ask you for the great honor of taking our daughter's hand in marriage." Neji stated. Hiashi looked at him sternfully, indeed it looked like he would turn him down, but his words contradicted him expression.

"Yes, Neji, you may. You have my permission." Then Neji turned to Hianta, she looked up at him and his eyes softened, and he gently took her hand in his.

"Hinata-sama, would you go me the great honor of being my wife?" Hinata gasped silently, she expected to feel panicked, but the warm look in his eyes and the feel of his thumb drawing small circles in her palm, made her feel so warm and calm inside.

"Yes Neji, I accept. I will be your wife." She said simply, saying his name without the honorific for the first time. He started to lean closer to her, lowering his head down for the kiss that was to come.

At this she did panic, she wasn't ready to kiss him or to be kissed by him. However she didn't turn her head away, no matter how uncomfortable she was, it was her duty to do this…and she was a dutiful daughter.

Neji could feel her hand trembling; she was scared, he could tell. He wasn't the one she wanted and knowing that fact pained him, but the last thing he wanted was for her to be scared for him though. His other hand caressed her cheek and he leaned his head down, his long hair draping both their faces. As his hand brushed her cheek he gently kissed the side of her mouth. He could feel her surprise.

"Do you think so bad of me Hinata?" he whispered to her so only she could hear him. He then pulled her into an embrace, as he did he leaned his head down to her ear, "I shall not kiss you properly until you want me to." With that he pulled away and gave her a small smile.

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Later that night, Hinata was lying on her bed looking up at the stars, thinking about what had happened during the ceremony. She could feel small tears form in her eyes, except this time they weren't for herself, they were for Neji. All this time, she was thinking selfishly, never once considering how Neji was taking all this in, never once thinking about his feelings. '_Do you think so bad of me Hinata?_' he had asked her, unfortunately at that particular moment, she did. She felt a tear run down her cheek, all these years they got closer and he had be so kind to her, and as soon as she hear that she was going to marry him, she treated him like he was an enemy. She felt like a complete fool, Neji had no more say in this as she did.

It was only a week since they heard about their engagement and there was tension between them already. She couldn't stand to look at him because she would be reminded of what she had lost, and he would avoid her as much as he could. Hinata closer her eyes and let the tears fall silently, _this is all my fault, I wish things could go back to where they were_. She fell asleep thinking that thought over and over again.

The next day, while Neji was training and trying to keep the events of last night out of his mind, he noticed his old teammate approach him.

"Hey Neji, long time no see. How have you been?" Tenten asked him. He took a break from training, he hadn't seen her in a while, and though he was glad that she was over her silly crush on him, he did miss her company.

"Fine. How have you been? Just got back from a mission?" he asked her.

"I've been good. Yeah just got back from one. Piece of cake for me, but anyways, I don't have much time to chat. But before I forget, Hokage-sama said she wanted to see you." she told him before leaving. He nodded and headed towards the village.

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It was evening by the time Neji found Hinata, deep in the forest training by herself. She usually kept her long hair up in a bun, but because of her exercise several stands of hair escaped and now framed her face and neck. She took her jacket off wearing a black tank top and dark blue capri's. She was breathing fast and in a defensive position when he walked in on her.

When she spotted him her serious expression vanished and was replaced with a smile as she relaxed her position. It had been a while since she'd train as hard as she had today, making her forget all her troubles, making her forget her engagement to Neji, making her think it was like old times again.

"Neji-nii-san, what are you doing here? Am I late for dinner again? I must have lost track of time…again." She said with a smile. Neji was at a loss for words, she was acting as if this whole pass week didn't happen. Was she…was she finally warming up to the thought of marrying him? She giggled at his lack of a response, which send a shiver down his spine.

"Neji-nii-san, what's wrong? You're looking at me like I have three heads." She giggled again. Being on friendly terms with her again made it more difficult for him to tell her of his departure, but he forced the words through the lump in his throat.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning on a mission." He stated, gathering his composure. She smiled a little confused, he looked liked he expected a certain reply to his statement.

"Ok…I hope it goes well and that you stay safe. How long will you be gone?" she asked.

"It's a long term mission. It could take months, I'm not sure when I'll be back. But…" he paused, his heart beating a little faster. Hinata looked confused, being an ANBU captain, he usually went on long term missions, but she was confused on why he stopped mid sentence.

"But what?" she inquired. He looked into her pale lavender eyes, so similar yet so different from his own, and grasped her shoulders.

"But I'll try my best to be back in time." He answered softly pulling her body closer to his. Oh how he longed to hold her, to really kiss her.

"Be back in time for what? Neji-nii-san, you're acting strange." She said really confused and scared at the feelings he was awakening within her, with that look of his. That heated look that made her body tremble with a certain anticipation, but her heart and mind only thought of one man…and it wasn't Neji. He froze at her words, _what is she talking about?_

"The…the wedding." He stated confused. Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, she had forgotten all about her engagement. All the memories of the past week came rushing back to her. Gone were the cheerfulness and friendliness, depression and wariness replacing them. Neji could feel the change in her, he sighed and closed his eyes, letting her go. He looked at her with his expressionless mask, though it pained him to do so.

"Yes, it is very likely that I shall be gone until the wedding." He said looking at her to see if she was going to say anything. But she didn't, she only kept looking at him with a sad and hesitant expression. So he turned to leave, hoping that when he saw her again she would soften to him. Giving him some small glimmer of hope that she will learn to love him as, he was rapidly realizing, he loved her.

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AN: ok what did everyone think? I hope you like it, I had it finished a couple of days ago, but when I typed it out it turned out shorter than I thought. And since I promised some that I would make it longer, I needed a couple more days to add on to it. I hope it's still not too short, I promise to keep trying to create longer chapters. Thank you to all those who reviewed it! I love you all, you guys are what keeps me writing, I do it all for you! Sorry if there isn't much 'romance' in it, that is taking a little longer than I thought, just hang with me, and I'll eventually get to the fluff. If it ever gets too fluffy or corny let me know, cuz I'm the Queen of Fluffiness and Corniness. Lol, till next time.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

_"Yes, it is very likely that I shall be gone until the wedding." He said looking at her to see if she was going to say anything. But she didn't, she only kept looking at him with a sad and hesitant expression. So he turned to leave, hoping that when he saw her again she would soften to him. Giving him some small glimmer of hope that she will learn to love him as, he was rapidly realizing, he loved her._

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Hinata woke up early in the morning, a week after Neji left, very nervous but determined. Today she has a purpose, a mission, it was now or never. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't go on living without telling him. She refused to just wonder her life away. Even if he rejected her, which she feared even more than her father, she wouldn't get married before she told him how she felt.

She wore her usual training outfit so no one would suspect where she was going or what she was doing. She grabbed an apple on the way out; she was so nervous, she wouldn't be able to eat anything else. She knew Naruto had just arrived yesterday from a mission. Though he just got back Hinata knew she would find him at the training grounds. Never taking a day of rest from bettering himself, not unless he was forced to. Her only hope was to catch him before he started training, she would hate to interrupt him.

Hinata soon arrived at the training grounds to find that no one was there yet. Moments later however, a tall blond young man came within her line of vision. When he spotted her a giant smile spread across his handsome face, making her heart race.

"Hey Hinata-chan!" he called out to her.

"Good morning Naruto-kun." She said softly. Throughout the years she was able to get rid of her stutter, but unfortunately not her famous blush. "I was wondering if I could have a word with you before you start training?" she asked him.

"Sure! What's up?…Oh before I forget, congratulations on your engagement. I just heard about that yesterday." He said with a smile, not realizing how quickly her smile turned to a frown.

"Neji is a bit stoic," Naruto said aloud, more to himself than anything else, "but he's a good man. You must be really happy Hinata-chan." He smiled and looked at her. But her head was down with her arms wrapped around her body, and she was trembling. _Shit what did I do now?_

"Hinata-chan what's wrong?" Naruto asked with a concern. She couldn't take it anymore; her mixed and confused feelings, her guilt for being here, he desire to tell Naruto how she felt. She could only hold in so many different emotions.

"NO! I'm not happy! I don't love him, I love you!" she yelled, and then launched herself into his unsuspecting arms, holding him tightly. "Can't you see Naruto-kun? I love you, I've always loved you." She whispered.

Shocked was an understatement to how Naruto felt. Though he had grown smarter and wiser over the years, he was still a blockhead in some areas. But then he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back and gently caressed her cheek, softly smiling at her.

"Thank you Hianta. Thank you so much for your love. You don't know how much your love means to me." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She looked up at him, her eyes full of hope, but his eyes were full of sympathy. "You shall always be one of my best friends Hinata." No, this isn't what she wanted to hear. "In fact I love you too, but like a dear sister."

She backed away from him, her heart breaking with every second that passed.

"Hinata I'm sorry. I wish I could love you the way you love me, but…" he could see the tears flowing down her cheeks. He wished that he didn't have to hurt her so; he really did wish that he could love her like that, just to make her happy. "But just because I don't love you the way you want me to, doesn't mean I don't love you." He told her, trying to comfort her.

She wiped her eyes and looked up, giving him a wobbly smile; trying to be brave, trying to be strong. "Th-thank you Naruto-kun." And with that she walked away, trying with all her might not to run or collapse into a crying heap. Instead of walking back to the village though, she walked to the forest, she need to be alone for a while.

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Neji settle down for the night, exhausted from the mission. It's been three weeks since he left, and his tired mind wandered again to his beloved cousin. _I hope she is all right. I wonder what she's been up to. _His heart refused to believe that she would be with Naruto. She was a good girl, engaged to him, she wouldn't betray him.

His mind said otherwise. _She doesn't want or love me; it's Naruto she's after. She would run to him, tell him how she felt_. Neji buried his face in his hands, full of despair and mixed emotions. He didn't want Naruto to break her heart, but he didn't want Naruto to become her lover either, which he would have to be in order NOT to break her heart. But Neji wanted to be the one that made her happy, bring her joy.

He remembered when he hated her, or when he convinced himself that it was her he hated. What a fool he was, it was never Hinata, never her. She just represented what he hated, but he was too dumb to figure that out. And when she tried to tell him that, he tried to kill her. He sighed, he was always hearing from his family how weak she is and how much stronger he was. But they were wrong, he was the weak one, and she had more strength than anyone he knew. She had such a big heart, even when he tried to kill her; she still cared for him, never hating him. He only hoped that one day she would love him not just as a cousin or as a friend, but as a man.

Suddenly he felt another presence in the forest. _So much for a rest, I guess it's time to get back to work._ He put his ANBU mask back on and went to investigate.

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Hinata was sitting in a booth sipping her tea while waiting for her friends. Her heart was heavy, since it was only a week ago she had her heart shattered and her dreams crushed. But she hoped and wished for the pain to heal as quickly as possible, for Neji's sake, she owed it to him. She then spotted Sakura and Ino walking into the restaurant and flagged them down.

"Sorry we're late Hinata-chan." Sakura said as her and Ino sat down.

"Yeah, forehead-girl here got stuck at work when I came to pick her up." Ino chuckled.

"Shut up Ino-pig. You could have always gone ahead without me." Sakura replied, but Ino wasn't listening.

"So what's up Hinata-chan? We haven't seen you since you got engaged." Ino said. Hinata looked into her tea cup as she replied.

"Last week I told Naruto how I felt about him." There was an awkward silence. Sakura and Ino looked at each other. They both wanted to cheer for Hinata, for finally telling Naruto, but she was engaged to Neji.

"Uh, that's…uh…" Sakura started.

"That's great Hinata-chan." Ino said softly.

"He doesn't love me back, at least not romantically speaking." Hinata stated quietly. Both women didn't know how to respond. They were sad for her, but if Naruto did love her back, it would have gotten REALLY complicated. Hinata and Naruto would've probably had an affair, which would have hurt and angered Neji, they didn't even want to imagine how the rest of her family would react. The two women didn't want any of their friends to be hurt, but it was such a delicate and complicated matter.

"I…I need your help." Hinata continued softly, trying not to cry. _I'm strong, I can do this. I have to do this_. Sakura took Hinata's hand into her own and squeezed it gently.

"What can we help you with?" she asked softly.

"Naruto-kun will probably never love me back. So I want to…well…Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, you both loved Uchiha-san at one point in time. And now, Sakura-chan you and Lee-san are getting married next month. And you Ino-chan, have been going out with Choji-san for two years. I…I guess what I want to know is; how did you move on? How were you able to transfer your love to someone else?" Hinata asked, looking at her two friends.

Both women smiled in understanding. They were both crazy about The Avenger, but after years of getting no closer to being his girlfriend, they both made the same decision. If they couldn't be with the one they loved the most, then they will be with the ones who loved them the most. And over time, they had learned to and fallen in love with them.

"So are you saying that you want to learn to love Neji-san?" Sakura asked.

"Well…though I know it's not required, I care very much for Neji. And so I feel like since we are getting married, I should love him like a wife should." Hinata said, feeling guilty that she didn't.

"Well you know Hinata-chan, there are no real set of guidelines, everyone does it a little differently. And it does take time." Ino said.

"Ino-pig is right. And what will make it more difficult for you, is that Neji-san isn't here. From what I understand, he's away on a mission. Whereas Ino-pig and I both had Lee-kun and Choji-kun to be with. I suggest, since he's not here, you talk with Tenten-chan and Lee-kun." Sakura advised.

"Yeah and try to think more about Neji-san than Naruto-kun. Try to remember all the happy times you've had with him." Ino suggested.

"Thank you so much Sakura-chan, Ino-chan." Hinata smiled, so grateful to have friends like them.

"And…" Ino smirked, "since he IS gone, you can go through all his things in his room." Ino said with a wink, making Hinata blush and Sakura chuckle.

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Neji collapsed to the ground, looking at his dead defeated foe and feeling the hole in his gut, a parting "gift" from his enemy. He was bleeding all over his body from the other wounds he was inflicted with during his fight. Hinata his mind kept saying over and over again as he struggled to get up. But when he finally got to his feet the negative part of his mind flashed him a sudden thought. _If I stop fighting it and actually accepted death, Hinata would be free to be with Naruto. She would be able to be happy._

He fell to his hands and knees wishing he could cry to ease the pain and despair in his heart. However, before he gave up on life, he thought of the promise he made to his father…and the first time he actually protected her.

_It was only two years since he had fought and almost killed Hinata. Ever since then he had tried his hardest to bridge the huge gap he created between them. They were still a bit awkward around each other; many times not really knowing what to say to each other. But there were times that words were not needed; they just enjoyed knowing that they weren't alone, content in each other's company._

_It was the first time that Hinata was added to his team on a mission. They didn't know much about their enemy except that they moved so fast, they seemed invisible, and that they were going to be difficult to beat. But with Neji and Hinata's Byakugan, it would be easier to spot them, so Neji would be paired with Tenten and Hinata with Lee._

_There were in the middle of a fight, each pair concentrating solely on their enemy. Neji and Tenten weren't having a very difficult time now that they were able to injure them, so that they wouldn't be able to move so quickly anymore. Because of that, Neji allowed himself to take a quick look at the other half of his team. Hinata and Lee were having a more difficult time, Hinata was struggling to keep up with their enemies and Lee wanted to help, but still couldn't see them, thus doing a horrible job defending himself. Neji suddenly saw Hinata whip her head back to shout at Lee._

"_Lee-san! Look out!" she screamed. Lee was suddenly bombarded with a series of punches and kicks, knocking him away from Hinata. But when she took the time to try and warn Lee, she had left her guard down. Neji watched in horror as Hinata's small frame collided with a large tree and several kunai's embedded in her._

_Neji quickly analyzed the situation: Tenten can easily finish off our opponents; **I can leave her to her own devices. But I CANNOT lose Hinata-sama!** Just as Hinata's opponent was about to finish her off, Neji sprinted over to her and slammed his hand into the enemy's shoulder and cut of his chakura point. The killer's arm went limp, and surprise crossed his face, but before he had composed himself, Neji quickly finished what he started._

"_Hakkesho Kaiten!" he yelled. The enemy collapsed, unable to move. Neji looked back and saw Tenten had finished destroying her opponents, and Lee was starting to limp back to the group. Neji bent down and gently took out all the weapons in Hinata's body. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, a small smile graced her lips._

"_Ne-Neji-nii-san." She whispered before fainting from her wounds. Neji gathered her in his arms, and picked her up._

"_Lee, can you make it back to the village ok?" Neji asked without turning around._

"_Uh, yeah." Lee answered._

"_Good. Then help Tenten get that man back to the village, we need to interrogate him. I'll go on ahead, Hinata-sama needs to get to the hospital." And with that Neji took off. He raced through the trees, holding her close to him. **Hinata-sama, please hang on. You can't die, not yet, not when I finally made things right. Not when we finally became friends.**_

Neji struggled to get back onto his feet. _I can't die yet; when I die it will be when I'm protecting Hinata!_ That thought empowered him, drove him to his feet, and to start walking to find help or a hospital. He didn't know how longed he walked or where he was walking and he never allowed himself to think of the pain. And if he did, he told himself that it was all worth it, it was ALL worth it if he could see her beautiful smiling face again. He finally came upon a small cottage, but his world was becoming black. He struggled to stay conscious, but he eventually fainted because of all his blood loss, just before he reached the door.

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AN: Yay! Another chapter! Took a little longer than expected, and actually at first a lot longer than I wanted it, so I took a little bit and made that the start of Chapter 5, so hopefully that'll be up in a couple of days. Anyways, I hope you guys like it. LOL and no Neji won't die, like I could write that! And yay, Hinata's taking the first steps to lovin' Neji! But believe me, that will certainly NOT be the last time we see Naruto….lol and the drama continues! Mwahahahahaha! Oh, one more thing…I was thinking about adding a LEMON scene, but I'm not really sure if you guys would want that. So do you think I should add one? I kinda want to, but if you guys don't think I need one, or if you don't want one I won't write one. So let me know, PLEASE review, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

_Neji struggled to get back onto his feet. I can't die yet; when I die it will be when I'm protecting Hinata! That thought empowered him, drove him to his feet, and to start walking to find help or a hospital. He didn't know how longed he walked or where he was walking and he never allowed himself to think of the pain. And if he did, he told himself that it was all worth it, it was ALL worth it if he could see her beautiful smiling face again. He finally came upon a small cottage, but his world was becoming black. He struggled to stay conscious, but he eventually fainted because of all his blood loss, just before he reached the door._

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Hinata found Tenten at the training grounds around two in the afternoon. It looked like the kunoichi had just finished her exercises and settled down for a break. Which was perfecting timing for Hinata. Tenten looked up and saw Hinata make her way over to her.

"Oh Hinata-chan, good afternoon." Tenten greeted.

"Good afternoon Tenten-san. I'm not disturbing you am I?" she asked.

"Oh no. I think I'm done for today, I started pretty early." Tenten smiled at her.

"Well then would you mind joining me for a picnic?" Hinata asked her hesitantly.

"That would be awesome." Tenten smiled excitedly. She had some of Hinata's cooking before and it was great. Hinata took the basket from her arm, which Tenten had failed to notice, and pulled out a blanket so they could both sit down without getting dirty. A few minutes after they started eating, Hinata blushed slightly while she pulled her courage together to ask Tenten about Neji.

"Tenten-san, can…can you…umm…what do you think about Neji?" Hinata asked while her famous blush spread across her cheeks.

"Do you mean, like, do I like him?" Tenten asked surprised and confused. _Why would Hinata-chan want to know if I liked Neji-kun or not when SHE'S engaged to him?_

"Um no, I mean…well…he doesn't really open up to me. I was wondering if he has with you. He…he confuses me many times. I hardly ever know what he's thinking. I…I never know how he feels." Hinata confessed, feeling bad that she hardly knew anything personal about him.

Tenten smiled gently, but inwardly she shook her head. _Neji-kun you fool, how do you expect the woman you love to love you back when you are closed as a clam? We're ninjas Neji, not psychics._ Tenten touched Hinata's shoulders, shaking her from her thoughts.

"Neji-kun never opens up to us. We don't know much about him personally either, but we've learned to…gauge his moods. We know when he's angry or just annoyed. We know when he's being serious or TRYING to be funny…which actually is never funny at all." Tenten told her with a chuckle. Hinata giggled, she tried to picture Neji making jokes, which in fact made her laugh more. Tenten laughed with her, and then became a little more serious.

"Honestly Hinata-chan, I think the one who's closest to his heart…is you." Tenten stood up. "Thanks for the wonderful food Hinata-chan, and for the company. But I need to get going." She didn't want to be the one to tell Hinata how Neji felt about her, that was Neji's job. She walked back to the village while a still surprised Hinata was still sitting on the ground.

_Me? She must be wrong, I couldn't be the one that's closest to him. I know his favorite food and what time he gets up in the morning, but other than that, I really don't know him at all! I don't even know if he likes me!_ Suddenly something got caught in her hair, pulling at it painfully. She reached her hand to the back of her neck and pulled her hair free from her necklace. _Wait! My necklace!?_ Hinata pulled out a gold chain from around her neck and looked at the oval locket that was attached to it. She opened it: one half of it held a picture of her as a small child, and the other had a picture of Neji when he was a child.

_That's right; Neji gave this to me for my sixteenth birthday. How could I have forgotten?_ As she kept staring at the beautiful gift she slowly felt a dull pain in her chest. This was a mark of someone who cared; someone who cared for her. She was overcome with guilt; _Neji does care for me and look at how I treated him. He probably thinks I hate him._ _He may have been the reason we grew apart when we were younger, but this time it's my fault._ Hinata clutched the locket in her hand tightly and looked up and tears unshed and determination in her eyes, _I have to prove to him that I don't hate him!_

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Neji opened up his eyes slowly against the bright light in the room. He looked around the unfamiliar room; it was simple, not unlike his own back at home. _Where the hell am I?_ He thought as he tried to get up, but found it to be too painful a task. He lay back down, trying to recall how he got here. But the door sliding open interrupted his thoughts, while an old man walked into the room.

"So ya finally up, eh? That's good, n' ya got some more color to ya, yup yup that's good." The old man stated while he walked over to Neji holding a bowl of soup. "Can ya sit up?" he asked.

Neji; having a difficult and painful time trying to sit up on his own, was utterly annoyed that he needed the old man's help. _Some prodigy I am. Can't even sit up on my own, how sad._ The old man smiled at him, showing a few missing teeth, while handing Neji the bowl of soup. Obviously he certainly wasn't wealthy or rich by any means.

"Okay, see if ya can finish that. If ya can, then ya can 'ave one more bowl, but no more. Ya's tummy is still really messed up. But ya should be okay in a few weeks. Patched ya up meself." The old man stated with pride. Neji paused in eating his meal to mumble a thank you. "Nah, don' ya be worryin' 'bout it." He said with a smile. Neji finished his bowl of soup easily enough, so the old man brought another, talking all the while.

"So, uh, ya know ya got a funny green t'ing on ya's fore'ead?" the old man asked. Neji didn't reply, but the old man continued. "So wat 'appened to ya? Why ya so banged up? Ya on a mission o' somet'ing?" Neji paused to glare at the old man; he didn't like all the questions. The old man chuckled.

"Well couldn' help but notice ya weapons. Believe it o' not, I ain't stupid. I knows a ninja when I sees one." Neji finished his second bowl, and figured if he tried to act like he was going to sleep the old man would leave him alone. But once he head touched the pillow his eyes got heavy, guess a little more sleep couldn't hurt.

Hours later Neji woke up again to the sight of the old man. He groaned, what'd he do? Watch him the entire time he was sleeping? The old man laughed at the groan Njei gave off.

"Now do I bugs ya THAT much? I'm only 'ere to change ya bandages." He said pulling out a clean set of bandages to replace the old ones. But of course, the man HAD to talk while changing them.

"So…who's t'is 'inata?" the old man asked, looking innocent. That got Neji's attention.

"How do you know about Hinata-sama?" Neji asked the old man, but he just laughed again.

"Now don' be lookin' at me like I puts a sour lemon in ya mouth. I gots me some good ears n' ya mumble in ya's sleep." He stated with a smile. Neji was appalled, _I do NOT mumble in my sleep._

"She ya gal back at 'ome?" he asked, looking innocent again. But like the many times before, was replied with silence. This time however, Neji wasn't glaring at him, instead he turned his head to look outside through the window, a far off look in his eyes.

"She know ya love 'er?" he asked softly.

"What makes you think I love her?" Neji asked quietly. The old man sat back and smiled gently.

"Likes I told ya. I ain't stupid. I was a youngin' once. I knows what love looks like. N' it looks like ya 'aven't told the lil missy." The old man softly scolded Neji.

"Because she loves someone else." Neji confessed. He didn't know why, but it felt good to confide in someone, even if that someone was an annoying old man.

"So wat." The old man shrugged his shoulders.

"So what? I can never have her. How can I capture her heart when she gave it to another!" Neji said angrily.

"N' ya thinks I'm stupid?" the man asked incredulous. He shook his head, don't kids know anything nowadays?

"Don' cha know that the only t'ing ya can count on is 'change'?" he asked. Neji lifted a brow, _what the hell is he talking about? The man doesn't make sense._

"Okay, I can sees ya not getting' me. Hhhmmmm, okay. How long ya know the gal?" he asked Neji. Neji wasn't going to answer, but curiosity got the better of him. I wonder where he's going with this.

"I met her when I was four."

"Okays, ya love 'er then?"

"I guess."

The old man rolled his eyes, the boy was being so difficult, he didn't blame the 'lil missy' if she didn't get involved with him.

"Well 'opefully it's not like the love ya 'ave for 'er now."

Neji looked disgusted, "Of course not!"

"Wells then tells Grandpa wat 'appened." The old man told him with a smile.

"Grandpa?" Neji asked.

"Yes?" he smiled. Neji rolled his eyes and sighed.

"I loved her like a sister, later I ended up hating her, years after that I found out it wasn't her I hated, then…I don't know what happened. I guess I loved her again." Neji said, trying to say as little as he could.

"Now do ya see wat I means? Change. Ya loved, ya hated, then ya loved again." The man said.

"Yes, but she's loved this guy for years." Neji said, trying to tell the old man that it was close to hopeless.

"But there's as many types of 'love' as there are moments in time." He said softly. But Neji had had it, he just couldn't stand the man anymore.

"What is it with you! You don't make any sense!" he yelled. The old man for a second looked sad, but then quickly smiled and got up.

"G'night." And with that he left.

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Hinata walked into her room late that night, she just got back from Sakura and Lee's wedding and reception. She was happy for them, but couldn't help but feel a stab of envy. Her wedding won't be anything like theirs; it was to be a traditional wedding, and a small reception afterwards, and…hers isn't a love match. As she gazed upon the two saying their vows, she felt tears slowly running down her cheek. She would never say any vows to Naruto. But then she shook her head; _I can't think about Naruto, not until it stops hurting to think about him. I must think of Neji_.

She stared around her room; it hardly had any personal belongings, just a couple of pictures on her desk. She walked over to look at them; one was of her and her genin team: Shino, Kiba, Kurenai, and herself. The other picture was one of her and her mother. They were picking flowers and looked so happy, but she was so young in the picture, she didn't remember that time, though she wished she did. She was always told that she was just like her mother; kind, gentle, loving, not a fighter at all. But it was difficult to really remember her, she had died giving birth to Hanabi.

Hinata walked back to her bed and sat down, clutching a pillow. Witnessing the love Sakura and Lee had, for some reason made her feel so lonely. She buried her face into her pillow when she heard a scratching on her door. Her head bolted up and she ran to the door, but when she got there no one was there. But at her feet lay a cup of hot coca, _Hanabi-chan…thank you._

The familiar gesture however brought tears to her eyes, whenever she came home a little sad or depressed Neji would come to her room with a hot cup of coca and listen to her problems. So when she sat on her bed feeling sad and heard the scratching she half expected it to be Neji, Hanabi must have watched him make it for her sometime. She held the warm cup in her hands and looked at the door next to hers, Neji's bedroom.

She opened the door slowly, hesitantly, and walked into his room. She stood there just looking around his room, not moving for what seemed like hours. His room seemed just as barren as hers, and yet she could almost picture him lying on his bed reading some scroll he found interesting. She walked around sipping at her drink and looking, not poking into his things, just looking.

She stopped at his desk, he also had two pictures: one of his father and him when he was younger, and one of his genin team with Lee, Tenten, Gai, and himself. She smiled; _maybe…maybe we aren't so different after all. _When she reached his bed, she stared down at it and couldn't even believe what she was thinking of doing. But…she looked around, as if anyone was watching her, she put her mug on his desk and lay down on his bed. She inhaled deeply; it still smelled like him. She wrapped her arms around his pillow; _why…Neji…why do miss you so much?_

Hinata made herself comfortable on his bed, but when she moved her arm slightly underneath his pillow, something scratched her arm. Her head popped up with a frown; _what on Earth?_ She moved the pillow away and found herself starting at recent picture of herself. She picked up the picture and recognized it; it was when she was volunteering at the hospital. She was taking care of a little boy when Sakura had come and snapped a picture of her and the little boy. Except the little boy was cut out of the picture, it was just of her smiling.

"Why…why would Neji have a picture of me underneath his pillow?" she asked herself aloud. But as soon as she asked, the answer flashed through her mind. She shook her head and quickly put the picture down, as if it burned her. _No, no that's crazy, it…it couldn't be! _She ran out of his room and back into her and threw herself on her bed, burying her face in her pillow. _No, no that's impossible! Neji hates me! He does, he does!_

When her heart starting beating normal again, she let go of her pillow and lifted it, seeing a familiar picture of Naruto. _So does this mean…that he…loves me? No! No it can't be!_ She grabbed her cell phone and quickly dialed Ino's number.

"Hinata-chan? What is it? You never call me late at night?" Ino asked worried.

"I don't mean to disturb you Ino. I'm okay, but I needed to ask you a really important question." Hinata stated.

"Oh, well I'm glad nothing bad's happened…(giggle) Choji, stop gimme a sec." Ino whispered. Hinata turned bright red, what in the world did she interrupt? Ino giggled again, "Hinata-chan hold on." After a few moments of silence Ino was back on the phone.

"So what's your question?"

"W-well I um…well…what does it mean…when you find uumm…a picture of yourself underneath someone's pillow?" she asked embarrassed.

"You found a picture of yourself under someone's pillow? Who's?" Ino asked confused.

"Ah, well…umm…a boy's." Hinata said, blushing. Ino suddenly figured what she was talking about.

"Well I would say then that that boy…loves you." She said with a smile.

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It had been two long agonizing weeks Neji had spent at the old man's house, recovering from his injuries. He was nearly healed, and was getting ready to leave when the old man walked into his room and sat on a stool staring at Neji.

"What do you want now…Grandpa?" Neji asked, annoyed.

"Remember wat we was chatin' 'bout couple weeks ago?" the old man asked, looking serious for once.

"Well…I try not to." Neji replied, giving a stab at humor, but nevertheless looking just as serious as always.

"Well…in order ta 'ave a workin' marriage, ya must learn ta grow with each other. Remember wat I says 'bout 'change'? Even if ya love ya spouse, the love changes. It never stays the same; it's a lot of work to 'ave a workin' marriage. Ya can tell 'er that ya love 'er, but it's better ta show 'er. Ya get my meanin'?" he asked Neji. Neji just stood there staring at the old man, why he actually sounded intelligent!

"I knows in a way wat ya goin' through. When I gots married, I was in love wit another woman, and my wife thought tat I was ugly n' stupid. But I's respected 'er, n' she me. Over the years we worked ta grow tagether n' eventually learned ta love each other. I's believe ya can do the same." He told him. Neji looked down, pondering the old man's words.

"Anyways!" the old man smiled and slapped Neji on the back, "It's time ya be getting' 'ome. Give my respects to ya gal." And with that practically shoved Neji out the door and slammed it in his face. Neji glared at the door; _stupid annoying rude old man!_ But he turned around and started heading home, he didn't need to stay away any longer, his mission was to track down a certain man. Well he did that, unfortunately the guy died and almost killed him, but he didn't think Tsunade would mind. He got the information he needed to know.

_Hinata_…his mind whispered, and with that, he started to run faster. Even if she still hated the thought of marrying him, he just wanted to see her. To see her long beautiful hair, her perfect pale skin, her gentle gaze and her soft smile. Her smile that somehow lit his world, made him want to hold her and kiss her, wondering what her luscious lips tasted like. Oh yes, he couldn't wait to see her.

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It was late at night when he finally got back to the village; too late to even report to Tsunade; he'll do that tomorrow. He walked into the Hyuuga compound and headed straight to his room, he just wanted to have a good nights sleep. Yes, he did want to see Hinata, but she'd be sleeping right now, and he didn't want to disturb her. He walked into his room and tiredly stripped, finally when he was just in his boxers he walked over to his bed…to find it already occupied.

He must be really tired if he didn't even notice it before, was he in the wrong room? He looked around, walked over to his desk and saw his two pictures. No, he was in his room…so then who was in his bed? He started to get annoyed, he just wanted to sleep and now there's an intruder. He walked back to his bed and threw off the covers, ready to yell at whoever was in his bed. But when he saw who it was, the words got stuck in the back of his throat.

Hinata was curled on her side sleeping peacefully in his bed, wearing only a white tank top and pajama shorts. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, he couldn't move, he had missed her so much. She was always on his mind, and now here she was sleeping in his bed. _Wait a minute…why? Why would she be sleeping in my bed? Maybe, probably she was just really tired and didn't notice that it's my room_. He watched her shiver slightly and pulled the covers back on her, tucking her in. He then walked to his closet and pulled another blanket and settled himself on the floor beside the bed. He closed his eyes and smiled, dreaming of her.

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Hinata was warm and content and she could feel herself slowly waking. She inhaled deeply; she could still smell him, making her feel safe and happy. She could hear the birds sing their morning song and she felt something brush through her hair, massaging her head. _Oh that feels so good, makes me want to fall asleep again_. She smiled, and snuggled against the hand that was massaging her head. She heard someone whisper in her ear.

"It's time to get up sleepy."

"Oh, five more minutes." She whined, but when she finally recognized the voice she gasped and her eyes shot open. There, inches above her face was Neji's, his closeness made her heart beat faster. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a hug. She held him tightly, she had missed him more than she thought she would, and he was gone for so long, she began to worry that something might have happened to him.

Neji was shocked; this was not the response he was expecting. But he welcomed it; he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. She smelled so good to him, like heaven, he never wanted to let go of her, never wanted her to let go of him. But it wasn't long till his body started to respond to hers, he could feel her breasts crushed against his chest, could feel her warm breath on his neck; he shook with his desire for her. But as much as he never wanted to leave her arms, he felt that she would turn from him if she knew how much he wanted her. He pulled himself from her and sat back up, giving her a strained smile.

"It's good to see you too, Hinata." She blushed at her impulsive act.

"I…I'm sorr" he cut her off.

"Don't. Don't apologize. Now it's time to get up." He stood up and she sat up, clutching the covers to her body and blushing slightly. He understood her silent question and chuckled.

"I'll meet you in the kitchen." He said walking out of his room and into the hallway. Once he made his way to the kitchen, he thought about "Grandpa's" words: _Ya can tell 'er that ya love 'er, but it's better ta show 'er_. Good, he didn't think he could open himself that much to her, to tell her that he loved her. So, as an act of love, he figured that he'd make her breakfast. Most of the times, it was her that made him breakfast; maybe it was time for him to do the same for her. Hinata stepped in the kitchen with a surprised but happy face.

"You made me breakfast?" she asked with a smile, Neji just nodded.

"You didn't have to." She said with a slight blush.

"I know." Neji said and pushed the plate towards her.

"Well…thank you." As she ate, she thought about what she was going to do today. She was going to train, but since Neji was back, she thought it might be a good idea to spend some time with him. To learn more about him, try to understand him, turn her attention to him more.

"Neji…what…uumm…what are you doing today?" she asked, she could feel her cheeks getting pink; damn blush!

"Nothing really. I already went to see Tsunade-sama, and the mission was pretty tiring. I was just going to rest up today." He said, sitting across from her, watching her eat.

"Oh, well…umm, I was wondering…if…if you would spend the day with me?" she asked, cursing her blush at the same time. Neji stared at her like she was out of her mind; _she wants to spend the day with me? What happened while I was gone? When I left she couldn't look at me without crying, and now she is asking me to spend the day with her?_

"I would like that." He said giving her a small smile.

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AN: Oh, long chapter, me tired. Well I hear that people like long chapters, but if you don't I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to be this long. And I'm sorry for anyone who was eagerly waiting for the LEMON scene, I was specifically was saving it for the wedding night, which is going to be the next chapter. So keep waiting patiently and I promise I'll get it to you ASAP. I really hope you like the "old man" I created, I'm sorry if you have trouble understanding him, if a lot of ppl can't understand him, I'll write it so you can…sorry. I noticed that my story seems really ansty, so I want to be a little more uplifting in this chapter. I hope all of you like it; have any questions, comments, praises (lol) don't hesitate to press that review button.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"_Oh, well…umm, I was wondering…if…if you would spend the day with me?" she asked, cursing her blush at the same time. Neji stared at her like she was out of her mind**; she wants to spend the day with me? What happened while I was gone? When I left she couldn't look at me without crying, and now she is asking me to spend the day with her?**_

"_I would like that." He said giving her a small smile._

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Hinata was happy that they started their day just walking around the garden together. It was one of her favorite places to be, she loved admiring the flowers, plants, and the small animal life. She pointed out and told him what her favorite flower was; daisies.

"Because," she said, "they are so simple in beauty, and they look so delicate and frail. But they survive, like other flowers, the harsh sun and the heavy rains. I like them because, though they don't look it, they're strong." She smiled down at them, while Neji gazed in wonder at his cousin. _She can see all this in flowers, but she doesn't realize that she's just like them._ Neji's heart was beating fast and his palms started getting clammy, _I should tell her that…but why am I afraid to do so?_ But Neji took a deep breath and shoved away his fear; his fear of her response.

"You're just like them." He mentally hit himself, _oh, that sounded great!_ She looked up at him, confused.

"Why do you say that?" she asked. _Yes! Another chance!_

"You're **just** like **them**." Neji cursed his lack of conversational skills. Hinata watched him take a deep breath to try again; she tried her hardest not to laugh, he was making such an effort, she didn't want to discourage him.

"Hinata, you are just like those flowers. You…are many times, taken as weak from your appearance and manner, but they don't realize, you don't realize, how strong you are or can be." Neji finally applauded himself, _much much_ _better_. Hinata smiled at him, she was touched, she was truly touched by what he said. Did he really think that she was strong? She was just about to thank him, when she heard him mumble something.

"And…your beautiful just like them too." Neji was half hoping she heard him, and half hoping that she didn't. Just then her heart beat a little faster and her breath came a little quicker. He found her beautiful? She placed her hand upon his shoulder and leaned towards him, she gently brushed her lips against his cheek.

"Thank you." she whispered in his ear, before stepping back and was pleasantly surprised to see her strong dignified older cousin blushing just like her.

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For lunch Hinata had packed them something in a basket, she had asked him if he would mind having a little picnic with her. Outwardly he just said that he didn't mind, but inside he felt like Hinata's old teammate Shino, has put a hundred butterflies in his stomach. Hinata knew that she and Neji both loved the outdoors and she wanted to be alone with him, thinking about him when he's gone and being with him were two totally different things. It would help her with her personal mission to learn to love him when she was **with** him. Plus, it was nice to be comfortable with him and not sutter and look like a perfect fool.

While eating she asked him about his mission, and he told her about it. It wasn't at all that interesting, except the old man part, which he made sure to leave out. Well he did tell her about the old man, but just left out everything that they talked about. He didn't look at her when he spoke, instead he looked out in the distance; he was sure that if he looked at her she'd see the desire he had for her. But when he finally got that under control he did look at her and she started giggling. _Why is she laughing? Is she laughing at ME?_ Neji was annoyed that anyone would laugh at him, he had a feeling that loving her was turning him soft, but there are some things that can't be changed.

He didn't look at her when he spoke, but that was fine by her, she hardly look at him when she spoke. But when he did finally look at her, she noticed that there was some rice stuck on his cheek that he was unaware of, it made her laugh just seeing that on him. He reminded her of little boys eating; she couldn't help but to laugh. However when she saw him tense and noticed that his eyes become a little cooler, she immediately stopped, though she allowed herself to smile while she reached up and took them off his face. Without thinking of what she was doing, she offered the rice in her fingers to him.

He looked at her hand then stared directly at her, while he gently grabbed her wrist and brought her fingers holding the rice into his mouth. He could feel his cheeks pinken a bit at his bold move, but he was sick of being scared…_and_, he figured,_ she would've found out sooner or later._

Hinata's face flamed up when he brought her fingers into his mouth and felt his tongue move across them. Her heart tugged, she felt hot all of a sudden, and she could feel herself starting to tremble. She couldn't tear her eyes from his, he wouldn't let her, and she felt like a jolt of lightening shoot through her whole body. Finally he pulled her fingers out of his mouth, his lips still clinging to them till they were all the way out. He felt her rapid pulse, felt her tremble, and saw in her eyes…the desire, the lust she was feeling, though she probably didn't understand what she was feeling.

"Hey Hinata!" they both heard suddenly, making them spring apart from each other. Kiba was riding Akamaru towards them and reached them in a matter of moments.

"Hey Hinata, how's it going? I haven't seen you in a while." Kiba said once he and Akamaru arrived. Hinata was too busy with Akamaru to try and get him to NOT lick her face off though Kiba didn't mind. He had missed watching Akamaru playing with her, and poor Neji was ignored for the moment. Though it probably wasn't a good idea. Neji was pissed, to say the least, at being interrupted. Once Akamaru was done lavishing Hinata with his kisses, she felt like she was able to breath at last.

"Kiba-kun, Akamaru-kun, it's so good to see you both. It has been a long time, I've….I've missed you both." She said with a slight blush and hugging one of Akamaru's legs.

"Heh, yeah, us too. Listen, I really only came to see ya before you get married. Unfortunately Akamaru and I are leaving in a few minutes for a mission. I'm really sorry Hinata, I won't be able to go to your wedding reception tomorrow." He told her sadly. She was depressed to hear that such news, Kiba and Shino were her best friends, and one of them won't be there to celebrate with her. No one outside of family was allowed to come to the wedding, but for the reception, she had invited all her friends.

"That's okay Kiba-kun, thank you for coming to tell me. I'm going to miss you tomorrow." She said with a small smile. He smiled back and walked over to her, helping her stand and then gave her a hug.

"I wish you all the happiness in the world Hinata. If he doesn't make you happy, let me know and I'll straighten him out for you." he said to her before letting her go. He had loved her most of his life; he still did, but he tucked that deep into his heart and decided it was time to move on.

"Heh, I have to get going. I'm already late and I'll never hear the end of it from my team. Later Hinata and remember what I said!" he yelled as he left with a reluctant Akamaru. Hinata stayed standing and waved good-bye, meanwhile Neji was still sitting, arms crossed and very annoyed at being so rudely ignored for so long. Hinata turned to look back at a scowling Neji, but to her surprise, instead of being hesitant and insecure, she giggled. Neji looked at her and cocked a brow and she just giggled some more, he looked just like a pouting little boy. At the sound of her laughter, Neji's anger disappeared; he slowly smiled at her. He couldn't help it, he loved to see her happy and smiling and laughing. Walking back home, Neji asked Hinata a question she was hoping he wouldn't ask her.

"So can you explain why you were in my room last night?"

She stumbled slightly, not sure on what to say. She didn't really want to tell him that it was because she had missed him so much, that she slept in his bed more peacefully than in her own. She was planning on telling him that it was because she was to exhausted from training that she didn't realize it wasn't her room, but Neji is a human lie detector.

"You plan on answering me?" he asked her, shaking her from her thoughts. She hadn't realized that she actually stopped to think about her answer.

"I…I…well, uumm…you see…" she started out, trying to think of something fast.

"Forget it." He said, he didn't really need to know and if it made her that uncomfortable then he wasn't going to push her. She looked down; mad at herself for not being capable to give him a simple answer.

"I…I hope you don't regret marrying me." She whispered. Neji took a step closer to her and gently put his hand under her chin and raised her head so that she could look him in the eye.

"I'll never regret that Hinata. Never." He told her softly, moving his face ever so slowly to hers, giving her plenty of time to turn away. His hand trailed down to cup her neck and he was overjoyed when she closed her eyes to accept his kiss. He hovered over her lips for a few moments…

"Hinata-sama, Neji-san, I'm so glad you're back!" a Hyuuga servant exclaimed. Hinata's eyes bolted open and she almost stumbled again in her haste to get some distance between Neji and herself, both wearing blushes, though Hinata's put Neji's to shame.

"Oh, I'm…uhh I didn't mean to interrupt Hinata-sama, Neji-san. It's just, there's still so many things that still have to be prepared for tomorrow." The servant fidgeted. Neji sighed; _I guess if I want to do ANYTHING with Hinata, it'll have to wait till tomorrow._ He blushed though at the thought of what will occur tomorrow night, their wedding night.

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Hanabi felt a certain deja vu watching her older sister pace back and forth across her room, waiting until they were to be called for the ceremony. Hinata was wearing a traditional but beautiful wedding kimono; her veil depicting two cranes, one in flight then other about to follow, but both were the darkest blue that could have been mistaken as black. And while the scene was similar, Hinata was much more distraught last time, now she seemed more pensive than anything else.

"What are you thinking about?" Hanabi inquired, interested in what was going through her sister's mind this time. Hinata stopped pacing and stared at the floor, a small frown marring her lovely features.

"I'm wondering if I love him yet or not." She replied.

"Who?"

"Neji."

"Do you really think it's that easy?" Hanabi asked her older sister, incredulous.

"What do you mean easy? I've been working at it for two months." Hinata exclaimed.

"But nee-san, you can't just say 'I've decided to love Neji-nii-san.' And expect to actually love him based upon that decision." Hanabi scolded her sister.

"And what makes you such an expert on love?" Hinata countered, Hanabi shrugged.

"Nonetheless, she's right." They heard an older woman's voice. The sisters turned to see Hinata's former sensei in the doorway. "Don't push into the emotion Hinata, because all you'll do is convince yourself you're in love when you're not. And later it'll come back to haunt you. But don't fight the emotion either. Don't be afraid to love him, though I wouldn't want to marry any of my cousins, but that's neither here nor there. You and Neji…you have a certain bond."

Hinata looked at Kurenai with tears in her eyes. She quickly walked over to her and embraced the woman who was the closest thing to a mother she had since her own had passed long ago. She pulled back and looked at the two with her.

"I do care for him, very much. And sometimes I do feel something else, but I don't know if it's love and if it is, what kind." She confessed and looked to Kurenai for guidance.

"Only you can figure out what you are feeling Hinata. It will take time, but the answer will come. Be patient." Kurenai answered.

"That isn't one of Hinata's virtues." Hanabi stated with a smirk.

"Hanabi-chan I believe you are talking about yourself." HInata said with a chuckle.

"Whatever." Hanabi said crossing her arms, but there was a sparkle in her eye.

A servant then came to tell them that everything was about to start. Both women hugged Hinata before they quickly left. Hinata was left with her own thoughts. And she couldn't help but think of her engagement to Neji. She closed her eyes and forced herself to think of the day before instead. To think of the good time she had with him, of the few times they nearly kissed; she turned beat red at that thought.

"Hinata-sama?" a servant inquired, shaking Hinata from her thoughts. She shook her head and smiled slightly before walking purposefully towards her destiny.

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Neji stood, waiting for his bride and failing to convince himself that he wasn't nervous. _Will she ever regret marrying me?_ Was the main thought running through his head. Trying to distract himself he looked down at the black kimono he was wearing, certainly the finest he's ever worn. The whole kimono was black; the only decoration was a mirror image of the cranes-in-flight design that was on Hinata's veil, except the color was a light grayish color, kind of off-white. As if summoned by his thoughts, he caught movement in the corner of his eye, Hinata. For a moment his world dimmed, she was all he saw.

She looked stronger, braver, than when they were engaged. He watched her look at her father with expressionless eyes as she walked. But once she reached him her eyes became softer and warmer, and she gave him one of her beautiful smiles, making him melt inside. He couldn't remember much of the ceremony; he was busy focusing on the woman beside him. He remembered kneeling with her before the monk and miko, drinking the sake, and the monk waving around a stick pronouncing them husband and wife. At the wedding, only family was allowed to attend, but for their receptions, they invited all their friends.

Throughout the meal Neji kept watching Hinata from the corner of his eye. He still couldn't believe that she was his _wife_! The woman he loved was finally his, well legally, he reminded himself; he still needed to win her heart. But after yesterday, it might not be as difficult as he first thought. Finally with the meal over, it was to be the couple's first dance together. Neji escorted his wife to the dance floor and held her close to him, making her blush, as they swayed slowly to the music. They were half way through the song when they heard someone start to tap their glass with their silverware. Soon everyone followed suite; they wanted the couple to share their first kiss. Hinata turned beat red and Neji gently raised her face towards his.

"It's okay Hinata, trust me." he whispered to her as he caressed her cheek. Like last time, he touched his forehead to hers letting his long hair drape the front of their faces. He was about to kiss her cheek, but he froze when her hand came up to touch the side of his face lightly. He felt her hand shake as she stood on her tip toes to softly brush her lips against his.

His heart slammed against his ribs at the feather-like caress of her lips. She pulled back slightly only for him to follow. He kissed her softly, gently as if asking for her permission. When she responded and her lips clung to his, he groaned softly and deepened the kiss. His tongue ran against the seam of her lips; she gasped at the sensual gesture and he seized his chance, exploring her mouth. His tongue stroked and caressed hers, making her tremble with unrecognized desire. Neji pulled back allowing them to get some air, to come back to their senses and realized they were still in the middle of the dance floor. Slowly couples started to join them and soon their friends were surrounding them, congratulating them again.

"Besides," Tenten smirked, "you might want to save some of that for tonight." She said and elbowed Neji, making him and Hinata blush. Hinata was so embarrassed and was still trying to calm her racing heart that she almost didn't see a certain young man in the back of the room. When she did spot him, he silently signaled her to meet him outside. Hinata nodded her head slightly when she felt someone tap her shoulder.

"You don't mind do you Hinata?" Tenten asked expectantly.

"Don't mind what? I'm sorry."

"Don't mind if I dance with your hubby?" Tenten asked with a chuckle.

"Now see here Tenten…" Neji started before Hinata cut him off.

"Of course I don't mind. Neji, Tenten go ahead. I was just on my way out to get some fresh air." Hinata said distractedly and walked away. Neji stared at Hinata's back with a frown before Tenten cajoled him into "at least one dance".

When Hinata finally made it outside, she saw the young man waiting for her underneath a tree about twenty yards away. She walked towards him slowly and stopped only a few feet in front of him. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye, so she settled for his chest.

"Naruto."

"Hinata."

Silence.

"Wh-what is it you wanted?" she asked. Naruto gently took her chin into his hand and lifted her face to his so he could see her pearl eyes.

"How are you?" he asked her softly while he brought his hand back to his side. She slowly smiled as she gazed at his blue eyes, eyes that haunted her dreams for most of her life…until recently.

"I'm doing fine." She told him honestly.

"You sure?" he asked, searching her eyes to see if she was telling the truth. She brought her hand to cup his cheek and smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you so much for caring about me Naruto, but I am fine now. You will always be an important part of my past. You helped me become the woman I am today…I will never call you a 'silly crush', for I really did love you. But…it's time I let you go." Naruto pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"You see? You are strong. I've always believed that you were. Always." He whispered into her ear before releasing her. He flashed her his famous smile and crossed his arms.

"I suppose you love Neji now?" Hinata's smile vanished, as her cheeks grew pink.

"I…I don't know yet. But I want to, he…he deserves it." She said softly, Naruto gently touched her arm.

"Only if he loves you, not because he's your husband, understand?" he told her firmly, Hinata smiled at him.

"I should go back. Thank you Naruto…for everything." She turned and left him behind.

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AN Edit: Okay here's what happened. To those who are reading this ficcie for the first time, thankies for sticking with it so far. If you are waiting for a lemon, don't worry it's in the next chapter. And for those who have read this before, re-reading it (hopefully I'm not the only one who does that), you'll notice a HUGE change. After getting MANY complaints about it, I finally decided to get rid of that horrid most evil of evil cliffies. Hopefully this is so much better. The chapters aren't as long since I added one, making Chapter 6 and 7 into three parts as opposed to one but at least you won't be cut off right in the middle ne? Hehehehe just wanted to let you guys know that I do listen to you and answer your prayers, lol.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_"Thank you so much for caring about me Naruto, but I am fine now. You will always be an important part of my past. You helped me become the woman I am today…I will never call you a 'silly crush', for I really did love you. But…it's time I let you go." Naruto pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly._

_"You see? You are strong. I've always believed that you were. Always." He whispered into her ear before releasing her. He flashed her his famous smile and crossed his arms._

_"I suppose you love Neji now?" Hinata's smile vanished, as her cheeks grew pink._

_"I…I don't know yet. But I want to, he…he deserves it." She said softly, Naruto gently touched her arm._

_"Only if he loves you, not because he's your husband, understand?" he told her firmly, Hinata smiled at him._

_"I should go back. Thank you Naruto…for everything." She turned and left him behind._

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Hinata found her husband sitting down alone and watching the couples dance. She stood next to him and placed her hand lightly on his shoulder, smiling down at him.

"Neji?" she inquired, silently asking him why he wasn't mingling with their friends. She was stunned when he shrugged off her hand from his shoulder and just kept looking ahead of him, not at her at all.

"Having a good time Hinata?" Neji asked with a cold voice. Hinata frowned, confused by him.

"Y-yes."

"I bet." He replied coldly before getting up and leaving her, not once looking at her. _What did I do?_ The rest of the night he wouldn't talk with her, when they danced he wouldn't hold her close or look at her and when the crowd clinked their glasses like before, he would just ignore it. By the end of the evening Hinata's happy mood vanished completely and instead she felt like crying. He wouldn't say anything to her, wouldn't let her know what's wrong.

Hinata and Neji were escorted to a cottage in the woods a few miles from the compound, but still on Hyuuga property. They were to spend two weeks there for their honeymoon. It was small, made for either a married couple with no children or a single person for it only had one bedroom and bathroom and a small kitchen and living room. Once the servants had helped them undress to the inner most layers of their kimonos; their yukata, basically just a white silk robe, they had left. Hinata and Neji were alone together for the first time as husband and wife. Neither looked at each other or said anything for several moments. Hinata started to look up hesitantly at Neji, only to find him staring hard at her.

"Good night Hinata." He said with his cold voice as he turned to leave their bedroom.

"Wait!" Hinata yelled as she took hasty steps towards him. He stopped walking, but he kept his back to her.

"Neji…won't you tell me what's wrong? You act like…like you hate me. You…won't look at me, you won't talk to me. What's happened?" Hinata asked ready to burst into tears. _We were having such a good time, and now…_Neji stood there silently, and just when Hinata thought he wasn't going to answer, he spoke.

"You couldn't wait Hinata?" he asked her quietly. Hinata shivered at the anger in his voice. The last time she felt such anger from towards her from him was when they fought each other in the Chunin exams.

"You couldn't wait even three hours after we were married to see your lover?!" he asked angrily. Hinata gasped, shocked at what he said. _Lover? What is he talking about? Three hours? Oh no!_

"Naruto?" she squeaked. "You mean Naruto?" Neji winced at Naruto's name, he slid the door open and took a step to walk out. To walk out on her, his love, his hopes, his dreams. When suddenly Hinata launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his back. Neji stopped and closed his eyes as if in pain; being held by her was such heaven…yet it was hell. Hinata tightened her grip on him and moved her head to the side so he could hear what she had to say,

"So you saw us, but you didn't hear us." She whispered to him. He scoffed; he wouldn't want to hear them. He brought his arms up to release her hold on him, but she only tightened her grip more.

"He does not love me." she told him, but he was still trying to leave her embrace.

"Neji…I do not love him." She confessed. He froze; she loosened her hold on him and he turned in her arms. They were facing each other. Inches apart with her arms still around him. He could see her blush at his proximity; dare he hope one last time?

"Can you look me in the eye and honestly say that Hinata?" he asked her softly. She knew what he really meant; Neji was a human lie detector and she was a horrible liar. But she smiled as her pale eyes met his; she was not lying.

"I do no love him Neji. He is my past, but you…Neji…are my future. I…I cannot say that I love you yet, but I want to. I'm willing to try, if you can wait for me." She told him, cupping his cheek gently with her hand. He closed her eyes and covered her hand with his as he turned his head to place a kiss in her palm. He turned back to look at her.

"For your love Hinata, I would be willing to wait for all eternity." Hinata's bottom lip trembled as tears formed in her eyes. And for the second time that night, she kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck while his arms went about her waist, holding her tightly to him. He nibbled her bottom lips and her knees grew watery. When his tongue caressed her lips silently asking entrance, she willingly gave it. And when his tongue touched hers, she trembled and felt goose bumps rise along her arms and the back of her neck. His kiss was making her light headed and dizzy, but oh how it felt so good.

Hinata made a small whine in the back of her throat when his lips left hers, but moaned softly when she felt his hot lips on her neck. Her eyes rolled back and she turned her head to give him better access. She felt so warm and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. Neji couldn't believe this was happening. Hinata was in _his_ arms moaning with pleasure from _his_ kisses! As he continued to lavish her neck with his lips and tongue, one of his hands moved slowly up her side and gently caressed the side of her breast. He waited, giving her time to push him away if she wanted to stop. But when she made no move to, he gently cupped her breast, filling his hand. He softly bit her neck as his thumb brushed across her nipple through the fabric. He heard her sharp gasp and felt her nipple erect. She wanted him, and oh how he wanted her.

She could feel her face grow red with what he was doing to her, but it just felt too wonderful to stop him. He brought his lips back to hers as she welcomed him. This time she grew bold as she stroked his tongue with hers, she felt him shiver in her arms and took that as a good sign. His thumb kept brushing against her nipple though and it was driving her crazy. But when he squeezed and rolled between his fingers, she felt like a jolt of lightening shot through her. She moaned into his mouth and instinctively moved her hips against his. She felt a bulge on her lower abdomen and even in her innocence; she knew it was evidence of his desire for her.

He let go of her breast and started walking forwards, making her walked backwards, until she stumbled onto the bed. She was leaning back on her elbows, their faces inches away, their bodies not touching. She looked him the eye as she started scooting back away from him. He frowned at first. Thinking that she no longer wanted to be near him, but when her whole body was on the bed she lied down and brought her arms up, silently asking him to follow her. He immediately complied, settling himself beside her. His eyes roamed her beautiful face and ended at her pink swollen lips. Lips that needed to be kissed by his again, when he suddenly saw those lips move into a smile, he looked back into her eyes.

"Will I always be the one to kiss you Neji?" she asked with a smile. With that he gave her his answer by kissing her deeply. She brought her hands up to cup his neck as she kissed him back. Then she slowly trailed her hands down to his shoulders and daringly dove them into his yukata to touch his chest.

"You…are so warm." She whispered between their kisses. He was hot; burning with his desire for her, having to reminds himself again and again to move slowly. In response he moved to untie the sash from her yukata, but before opening it he looked back at her, silently asking her permission. She was apprehensive and a little afraid, but for once fear did not make her shy. It made her bold. She brought her hands up around his neck and pulled his ear towards her lips.

"B-be gentle." She whispered to him, her face red with the boldness of her words. Neji turned his head to her and kissed her softly as he pulled her yukata off her body. When he stopped to gaze at her, she immediately wanted to cover up, embarrassed out of her mind. But when she saw the look in his eyes, she resisted that urge. She saw admiration and awe in his eyes as well as a fire that her body responded to. Neji's eyes went back to Hinata's.

"You are so beautiful." He told her before kissing her neck and slowly moving lower towards her breasts. Hinata closed her eyes and buried her hands in his long hair and letting the sensual feeling take over. Neji's lips burned a hot path down her chest, lower and lower. When she realized what he was going to do she panicked.

"Neji I don't think…" was all she got out before he captured her nipple in his mouth and began to suck gently. She sighed deeply and his name was on her lips as she arched her body into his. He loved hearing her say his name that way. So he continued sucking and licking her breast while gently squeezing and rolling the other with his hand. Her heart thundered in her chest and she was panting while writhing beneath him.

Neji's other hand began to wander down her side and outside of her leg. When her ran his hand back towards the apex of her thigh he made a bold move inward, cupping her in his hand. She immediately clenched her legs together, embarrassed that he would touch her there. He brought his face back to hers.

"Hinata, please don't shut me out." he pleaded softly into her ear.

"Neji…I'm…I'm scared." She confessed. Neji looked back into her eyes and caressed her cheek with the hand that wasn't between her legs.

"I know, don't worry, I'll go slowly. I'll take care of you, it will not be so bad." He promised her. Hinata nodded and slowly relaxed, trusting in what he said. Neji kissed her deeply while his hand explored her. He trembled when he felt moisture upon his hand, he slowly dipped a finger into her as he thrusted his tongue into her mouth. She shivered in response and gently moved her hips against his hand. It was a strange and wonderful sensation, somehow exciting and scary and exactly what her body was yearning for, all at the same time.

Neji moved his lips back down to her breasts as he added a second and third finger into her. Hinata moved her head restlessly on the pillow, panting with desire and hearing it roaring in her ears. She wrapped her arms around him, lightly touching his back. Feeling his muscles contract at her touch, she lightly grazed her nails on his still clothed back. He shook and groaned deep in his throat.

She was trying to pleasure him back, though she didn't know how, but when he kept plunging himself into her and suckled her breasts at the same time, she lost all thought. She could feel pressure building more and more on her lower abdomen, her breath hitched and she shut her eyes tightly against the feeling. His thumb found a little button of flesh and when he stroked it and applied pressure to it, her body jerked, in her attempts in not losing control of herself. Neji could feel it; her body was screaming for a release, but she fought it. He brought his mouth from her breast to her ear.

"Let it take you Hinata. Don't fight it, don't be afraid. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere." He whispered to her. His words were so sweet, so kind, it sent her over the edge. Suddenly arching against him and throwing her head back as she cried out in her pleasure. She felt like she was floating back down to earth, exhausted. Neji was holding her close to him, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. He had never been so happy in his life; it was like all his dreams of her were coming true. He kissed her sweetly and smiled at her. She smiled back at him; who knew that Neji could make her feel that way? _For some reason I feel so safe in his arms, he's so strong, yet he holds me so gently as if I could break._

"Neji..that was…it felt…" she felt flustered, but while coming back to her senses, she had realized that she was the only one who was satisfied. "I want to make you feel the way I felt." She said.

"You…" he kissed her shoulder "do." His fingers traced idle circles on her hip.

"Neji…" she stared at him, passion coming back into her eyes "please." How could he say no to her, his angel? He grabbed her around her waist and rolled, pulling her on top of him. Her face burned a bright red at being in such an exposed position, her legs straddling his. She looked at his chin, too embarrassed to look in his eyes.

"Neji…I don't know how." She complained, how was she to make him feel what she felt, when she had never done anything like this before? But all he did was give her his infamous smirk, as if telling her "figure it out for yourself". Hinata bit her bottom lip and hesitantly kissed his neck. She figured, whatever felt good to her, might feel good to him…she was right.

Her soft kisses and lightly roaming hands were driving him out of his mind. But they both hesitated when she came to his sash holding his yukata shut. Hinata's hands shook while she untied it and audibly gulped as she was about to relieve him of his clothing, when his hand caught hers, stopping her. She looked up confused; _doesn't he want this? Doesn't he want me?_

"Hinata…you don't have to…if you don't…want to." He told her in a strained voice. Having her straddling him was _so_ arousing, but he didn't want her to regret their lovemaking, he didn't want to push her.

Hinata would be the first to admit that she was still scared, still embarrassed. But she still felt guilty about being the only one to experience the satisfaction of her release. She could hear her heart pounding in her in her ears, could feel her hands trembling in Neji's. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering her courage. _It won't be so bad, I was scared before hand, but Neji made me feel_…she blushed as she thought how he made her feel. She took her hands out of his grasp and went to lie down on his chest. She wrapped her arms around him as his arms went about her. She put her head down and listened to his heart, it was beating as fast as hers. She closed her eyes and kissed his chest. _Maybe…maybe he's scared too_. That thought comforted her, the thought that Neji was just as scared of being so intimate as her. She smiled as she continued to kiss his chest.

Her arms came back around and felt his stomach, such strength there, and trailed up and down his torso. She slowly brushed back his yukata, but kept herself away from a certain area that she just wasn't ready for yet. Neji had his eyes closed and was biting the inside of his cheek, trying to stop himself from groaning. But her touch was so intoxicating, her feather-light kisses on his chest was making it difficult for him to breath. His hands fisted in the sheets as she softly brushed her lips across his nipples and hesitantly licked them, like he did with hers. But when her hand slowly made its way lower and lower, gently touching him, learning his shape and wrapping her hand around him, he clenched his teeth, determined not to make a sound. Hinata looked up at Neji, saw his clenched jaw, apprehensive.

"Am…am I hurting you?" she asked as she slowly moved her hand up and down along his hardened shaft. Neji took great gulps of air and answered her in a strained voice.

"No." he managed to get out.

"D-do…do you…like it?" she asked him in a small voice. She was embarrassed for even touching him there, but if he was feeling what she was a moment ago, then she would continue. It took Neji a few moments to answer her though.

"Yes." He grounded out. His heart felt like it was beating a thousand times a minute and his breathing was shallow and rapid. He couldn't seem to think, his mind was filled the sensations of her hand stroking him. But after a few more moments his hands once again captured hers, making her stop. He felt close to his breaking point, if he wasn't in her soon, he would disgrace himself by releasing into her hand.

"Neji?" Hinata asked; _why would he want me to stop if he liked it_? But she didn't have time to think as he rolled her onto her back and this time settled himself between her legs, instead of beside her. He kissed her deeply, passionately, as his hands made quick work on her body. And soon enough she was once again gasping with pleasure and anticipation. Neji moved his hand down, caressing her pink folds, outlining her opening; she was wet for him.

"Neji…please…oh please." She begged, not really knowing what she was begging for. He didn't need any other urging, he kissed her neck as his hands griped her hips.

He entered her slowly, wanting to hurt her as little as possible. He tried desperately to think of anything than the sensations he was feeling, but it proved to be very difficult. She was so tight and wet and hot…and heaven. He could start to feel her tense up, and he stroked her cheek gently while whispering to her that everything was going to be okay. She nodded, putting her trust in him; she bit her lip from crying out in pain. It had taken her breath away, but it soon receded. Though she felt stretched and still a little frightened, his hot breath on her neck made her want more. She was awed and confused on how much her feelings for him had changed; she wanted to give him as much pleasure as he was giving her. But Neji wasn't moving and he seemed to be having trouble breathing. She began to worry that she hadn't pleased him at all.

"Neji?" she whispered his name, letting him hear the fear in her voice.

"It's alright Hinata. Just don't move…just let me…ah, damn you moved…"

She had shifted slightly, then gasped, shocked by the incredible sensation the movement caused. A burst of raw pleasure coursed through her body so intensely she cried out. She tried to lie perfectly still, but she could feel a fire burning inside her and when she moved again the pleasure intensified.

Neji groaned in reaction. He was fully inside of her, yet still tried to control the strong needy demands of his body. But when instinct told her to move her hips sensually against him, all his good intensions when up in flames. He slowly withdrew, and then sank deep inside her again.

She thought that was the most amazingly wonderful thing he had ever done. Guided by instinct and spurred by lust, Hinata willing molded her hips to his, wrapping her legs around his waist, and began matching his movements. She drove Neji to unparalleled agonies of desire as he held himself back, determined to ensure her climax before he had his own. He began to quicken his deep thrusts, circling his hips with Hinata mimicking his movements, clasping his pulsing shaft in her tight warmth.

Hinata could feel a wildness in her, racing through her veins, running through her body. Her head moved fitfully on the pillow, the sweet sense of yearning mounted to an almost unbearable pitch, as he dove into her again and again…and then she felt like something within her explode, making her moan his name.

Neji thrust into her in short sharp movements, matching the spasms shaking her and pulling at him. The instant they subsided he tightened his arms around her and buried his face into her sweet smelling hair as he drove into her with his full length. Seconds exploded into a world of animal pleasure as he gripped her hips, lost in a brilliant world of spinning, satiated desire, pouring himself into her. He was startled when the groan he heard was his own. His body jerked convulsively again and again, and he clasped her to him, breathing in deep pants against her cheek, his heart in frantic temp with her, his life merging into her.

When they were finally able to catch their breath, and strength return to their limbs, Neji wrapped his arms around Hinata's waist while he rolled onto his back, taking her with him, he wasn't ready just yet to withdraw himself from her. For a few moments they were silent, their minds still filled with the ecstasy they both experienced. Then Hinata raised her head from Neji's chest and looked at him with a blush.

"I didn't know…when you…and then I...I didn't know we could do…what we did…I didn't know." She had difficulty getting out. He smiled at her softly, and bent his head to give her a kiss meant to curl her toes…which it did.

"Did…did you…enjoy it?" she asked softly, her emotions shinning in her eyes. He cupped her cheek and caressed it gently.

"You're a dream Hinata, a wonderful dream." He told her. She smiled tremendously, and he could feel his heart doing little summersaults in his chest at the sight. Hinata laid her head back down on his chest to listen his heart beat, a feeling of contentment washing over her.

"I feel so sleepy." She said while her eyes were closing.

"Then sleep Hinata." He replied, kissing the top of her head.

"You won't leave me?" she asked sleepily, hardly knowing what she was saying.

"I would never leave you." he told her and it was the last thing she heard before losing herself to sleep.

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AN Edit: Okay how was that? Mucho better? I hope so. It took me a long time to figure out just where I could stop the chapter and where I could pick it up again. To the new readers, I hope you enjoyed my lemon, it was the first I've ever written. And to the re-readers, yeah I did good right? Lol.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"_You're a dream Hinata, a wonderful dream." He told her. She smiled tremendously, and he could feel his heart doing little summersaults in his chest at the sight. Hinata laid her head back down on his chest to listen his heart beat, a feeling of contentment washing over her._

"_I feel so sleepy." She said while her eyes were closing._

"_Then sleep Hinata." He replied, kissing the top of her head._

"_You won't leave me?" she asked sleepily, hardly knowing what she was saying._

"_I would never leave you." he told her and it was the last thing she heard before losing herself to sleep._

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The first thing Neji became aware of was the feeling of contentment. There were so few times that he's ever felt that and he could never remember waking with that feeling. The next thing he became aware of was a weight on his chest and fingers gently stroking his hair and massaging his scalp. He opened his eyes to meet a pair similar to his own. Hinata was still lying on his chest and smiled warmly at him. If he lived to be a hundred, he would never take for granted the daily miracle of waking in the morning to find her in his arms, with her beautiful gentle smile. He lifted his head and kissed her softly, sweetly.

"Good morning." He said, lying his head back down. But instead of replying right away, she looked at the bandages he still kept around his head to hide the seal. She scooted a little higher and with her other hand, preceded to unwrap the bandage. When she finished, she left the bandages in a small pile not far from them. She gazed and gently touched the hated seal, the very thing that drove them apart all those years ago. Hinata bent her head and softly kissed it, trying to tell Neji that though she may not love him, she accepted him…all of him.

"Good morning." She finally replied. Neji looked at her with all the love he had for her. She was so loving, so kind and sweet, so forgiving. His hand shook as he reached up to run his hand through her hair, and she could his heart beating rapidly.

"I love you." he confessed to her, so softly that she almost didn't heart it; but she did. Her smile grew warm and tears started to form in her eyes. She turned her head and softly placed a kiss in his hand.

"I know. But Neji…I don't deserve your love." She told him, making him frown. "I'm not strong like Tenten, I'm not beautiful like Ino, and I'm not smart like Sakura. And as soon as I heard of our engagement, I turned against you. Oh Neji, how can you ever love someone like me!" she cried into his chest, ashamed of herself.

Neji wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. When she calmed down he took a deep breath. He was about to unlock his heart to her, to lay in her gentle hands his scarred and tattered heart.

"Did you know that the first time I saw you, I thought you were cute?" he asked her aloud, effectively shocking her. "And the first time I was told that I was to protect you, I was happy? It was because it meant that I was allowed to be near you, to be with you."

Hinata lifted her head up to look at Neji. _Is he lying? Is he just saying that to make me feel better? _But when she saw the sincerity in his pale eyes, she knew he was telling the truth.

"Hinata, you may think that you aren't strong because people are always knocking you down, but when you always get back up, you prove that you are strong. You may not think that you are beautiful, but there is none upon this Earth that I desire more than you. And you may not think you are very smart, but I've seen you negotiate between Hiashi-sama and Hanabi-sama to stop them from killing each other, and instead create peace between them." Tears were once again running down her cheeks at his words. Neji took a corner of the sheet wrapped around them, to gently wipe her tears away.

"But your smile Hinata," he continued, "your smile…is like a bright shinning star in my dark world, always giving me happiness and hope." He said just before softly kissing her trembling lips. Hinata held him tightly to her as she kissed him back. She couldn't believe how sweet words could be; she wanted to tell him how much his words touched her, but found herself speechless. So for the rest of the morning Neji showed her just how much he loved her.

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The next week and a half was the best in both their lives. Away from the stiff atmosphere of the Hyuuga compound they felt freer than they ever felt before. Neji gave into all the desires he had and showed her a side to him she never knew existed. Hinata marveled and blossomed under Neji's loving touch, awed and grateful that he showed her his romantic and loving side. While Hinata showed him how to laugh and play freely.

They spent most of their days in bed loving each other, but also opening up and learning about each other, strengthening their bond. But they didn't spend all their days indoor however. To them life was…perfect; even the weather was perfect. With the sun always shinning and a few clouds to add decoration to the sky. They often took long walks along the riverbank, holding hands, talking.

Once when they were walking along the bank, Hinata eased out of Neji's embrace to walk into the cool water. Hinata then turned her head and gave him a mischievous smile as she lifted her leg and kicked in his direction, effectively splashing him. He looked at her expressionless, his arms crossed, and his clothes wet. She looked at him and started giggling; he looked like a puppy that didn't want to get wet. In a flash he ran into the river, bent down and with his hand splashed large amounts of water at her. She squealed while she tried to dodge but was surprised when Neji quickly ran to her other side and splashed her again. She was soaked from head to toe, and slumped with defeat. It was Neji's turned to laugh; she looked like a wet kitten.

Suddenly his laughter was cut off as Hinata launched herself at him, causing him to fall back when he caught her. He was stunned a bit from her tackle, but feeling quickly came back to him as he felt her wrap her legs around his waist and thrusting her hips insistently against him while she kissed his neck and caressed his chest. He groaned as his heart suddenly thundered in his chest and his breathing became rapid. But as soon as his arms came up to hold her, as soon as his hands moved to touch her, as soon as his mouth searched to kiss hers; she got up and walked away, leaving him with his unfulfilled desire. She stopped walking a few feet from him and turned her head, a confident smile crossed her face.

"That's what you get for splashing me." She taunted. Neji growled as he got up and made his way to her.

"You can't tell me you weren't affected too!" he cried. She just smiled and cocked a lovely brow, but surprised when he took her hand to yank her to him. He quickly brought down his hot mouth to devour hers while simultaneously diving his hand into her kimono and in between her legs, pressing his finger against her. Her body jerked and she tore her mouth away, moaning his name. He smiled when he withdrew his hand from between her legs and then started to walk away from her.

"Neji!" she panted, hurt crossing her features.

"Next time don't leave me hanging Hinata." He told her when he turned back to face her, with a smirk on his face.

"Are you really going to leave me like this?" she asked him, her passion ignited and her body yearning for his. The smirk left his face as he walked back to her, his arms wrapping around her.

"I told you before; I would never leave you." he promised her, sealing his promised with a heated kiss.

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It was the day before their honeymoon was officially over, Neji's head nuzzled between Hinata's breasts as he lay on top of her on the couch. They were just holding each other, content to be in each other's arms. Hinata stroking Neji's long hair, and Neji every once in a while, planting a sweet kiss on her chest.

"Neji?" Hinata asked, to see if he was awake, or if he fell asleep in her arms.

"Hhmm?"

"I…I don't want to go back." She confessed; it had been plaguing her all day. Neji closed his eyes and held her tighter, he inhaled her unique sent and sighed. He too was thinking about the end of their honeymoon as well. They both knew that things would be much different when they went back.

"Me neither." He told her. "But try not to think about it." She nodded as she kissed the top of his head. Then she reached her hand down to the floor to pick up the remote to the TV. Maybe there would be a movie on that could keep her mind occupied. She flipped channels till she came to one of her favorite movies, A Walk To Remember. She set the remote down and proceeded to watch it. Neji lifted his head and looked at her incredulous, did she really expect him to watch a chick's flick? He leaned over to pick up the remote and turned it off.

"Hey, I was watching that!" she cried while trying to get the remote from him. But he continued to hold it out of her reach. She wiggled, trying to get out from underneath him, but he just held her tightly with his other arm and started laughing. She stopped and frowned at him, then suddenly lifted her body and rolled them both off the couch. She quickly wriggled free and grasped the remote, but found that Neji was still holding onto her waist. Neji rolled them again so that he was on top of her and reached his arm up to get the remote.

"Neji! No!" Hinata cried while waving her arms about trying to dodge his hand. But then Neji's other hand grasped her slightly higher than her waist and squeezed. Her limbs immediately contracted as she screamed with laughter. Neji made a quick dive for it, but she quickly shoved her hand behind her back, trying desperately to stop laughing. But Neji just continued to tickle her, effectively making her forget the remote as she laughed and tried to wiggle free. He had a huge smile on his face as he heard her laughter and bad attempts to get away from him,

"Neji! Ah! Hahahaha! Neji! Stop! Hahahaha! Please!" she screamed, bursting into laughter again. Her pleas made him laugh as he obeyed her request, and pulling her on top of him once again.

"I love to hear you laugh." He whispered in her ear, while she was still trying to catch her breath. He laid his head back down to see her glowing face; her smile was never as beautiful as it was now. Once she caught her breath she leaned down and kissed him.

"You too. You need to laugh more." She told him before kissing him again. She just couldn't help herself, she felt addicted to his lips. The atmosphere quickly turned from playful to sensual, as she lay sprawled on him. He kissed her back hungrily as his hands held her hips tightly to his, forcing vibrant awareness of his arousal. Suddenly an urgent knock came at the door, destroying the moment. They got up to answer it; it was a young man, a member of the Branch house, panting for breath.

"Hinata-sama, Neji-sama, I'm sorry to disturb you, but Hinata-sama…Hiashi-sama…he's dying. You must come quickly."

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AN Edit: Yeah I know that this chappie is WAY short compared to the others, but that's just how it worked out when I cut two chapters into three without adding to it. I feel if I were to add to it…it would…I dunno, be different. Lol, well that's obvious, but I just don't want to change the content really. Anyways, from here on there are no more major changes like this one. I've tried to go back from the beginning all the way to the end fixing spelling and grammar errors, but I'm sure there are still some that escaped me. If you find anymore go ahead and let me know. Nothing like perfecting past work.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"_Hinata-sama, Neji-sama, I'm sorry to disturb you, but Hinata-sama…Hiashi-sama…he's dying. You must come quickly."_

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A few moments later Neji and Hinata, along with the servant, were rushing towards the main house. Fear and worry running through Hinata's veins. Her and her father may not have been close at all and he may have made her cry many many times, but he was still her father. She couldn't bring herself to fully resent him. Whereas Neji's only concern was for Hinata, not Hiashi.

"What happened?" Hinata asked the servant as they continued on their way.

"He's had a heart condition for a long time. He never told anyone. He never got help." He told her quietly. He didn't care much for Hiashi, but Hinata, ever since her relationship with Neji improved, became somewhat a heroine for the branch house. He too worried over her, wanting to hurt her as little as possible. Minutes later she was rushing into her father's bedroom to find him in bed, looking the worse for wear. Hanabi was already by his side, upset and with tears in her eyes.

"Tou-san!" Hinata cried as she ran to his side and dropped to her knees. Hiashi's eyes were closed and she could see that he was having a difficult time breathing. Hinata grabbed his shoulder and shook it gently.

"Tou-san, please." She begged, she could already feel tears forming in her eyes. All was forgotten as Hinata looked at her father; all the mean things he's ever said to her, all the torture she's been through to please him, the fact that he forced her into a marriage, everything. Hiashi slowly opened his eyes to look at her, then turned his gaze upon Hanabi. Hinata closed her eyes and dropped her head. Even now, on his deathbed he still disapproved of her, he still loved Hanabi more than her. She trembled in her sorrow and envy while she listened to what he told her sister.

"Hanabi," he said while he cupped her cheek, she held his hand to her face while a tear ran down her cheek.

"Hanabi, you must…continue…to stay…strong. You must…for your sister. Do…do you understand?" he asked her. She was too chocked up with tears; all she could do was nod her head. He brushed her tears away with his hand while he gave her his rare smile. He then turned to Hinata to find her head hung low, tears streaming down her face. Hiashi put his fingers beneath her chin to gently lift her face up, her eyes reflecting her sorrow and pain.

"My gentle…loving…Hinata," he called her, surprise and shock rippling across her face.

"Do you cry for me, my daughter?" he asked her; she nodded in a jerky motion. Then he also cupped Hinata's cheek within his hand.

"My daughter…can you…ever…forgive me?" she frowned while her tears continued falling. Hiashi closed his eyes to catch his breath. The two Hyuuga sisters started to panic and cry harder as they could almost see the life draining away from their father's body. When Hanabi shook him, he opened his eyes once again, but his gaze went past them to land on Neji in the back of the room.

"Neji…top drawer…envelopes." He said as he signaled to the dresser next to the bed. Neji walked over and opened it to find three envelops addressed to Hinata, Hanabi, and himself. Hiashi then turned back to Hanabi and Hinata; cupping their cheeks and looking at them both.

"My…beautiful daughters…love…you…….both." he said on a sigh before death finally took him. Hanabi continued to hold his hand while she closed her eyes. Hinata, though, dropped his hand, shaking her head.

"No." she whispered. Her hands suddenly reached up and grabbed Hiashi's collar.

"NO! TOU-SAN!" she screamed, and then buried her head into his chest, crying harder than ever before. _WHY?! Why does he say these things to me NOW?! Why does he have to leave me when he's finally said these things to me?!_ Hanabi looked up to stare at her sister, she wanted to go comfort her, but she too was drowning in grief.

Neji went to Hanabi and gently lifted her to her feet. He escorted her to her room and pressed the envelope addressed to her into her hands. He was about to turn and go back for Hinata when Hanabi stopped him. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

"Neji-nii-san!" she cried as tears fell down her face. Neji gently pushed her away.

"Hanabi-sama, I know it hurts, but you must be strong. I would stay here with you, but your sister needs me." Hanabi, after a few moments, nodded and tried to smile.

"I…understand." She said before he left. She wanted someone to be with her, to comfort her, but she knew that Hinata needed their cousin more than she did. She looked down at the envelope in her hands. She slowly walked to her bed, trying to dry her tears so she could read it. She opened it with trembling hands; it was a letter. Hanabi closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before reading it.

_Hanabi,_

_My daughter, my strong beautiful daughter. Everyone, including I, always praises you for your strength, but my daughter you must understand that it is all right not to be strong all the time. Everyone, at one time in their life feels weak; mankind has yet to build something what hasn't broken down. As long as it's not a habit, it's okay. Don't be afraid to depend on others. Continue to support your sister; she will need you in times of controversy. Lend her your strength and allow her to teach you the ways of forgiveness and courage of the heart. For you my daughter, are just like me, but don't make the same mistakes I did, learn from your sister._

_Your Father,_

Hiashi 

Hanabi made sure to put the letter carefully back into the envelope and gently place it on her desk before she allowed herself to collapse on her bed in tears.

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Neji, on his way back to pick up Hinata, decided to quickly scan through his letter.

_Neji,_

_I hope one day you will learn to forgive me for all the wrongs I have done against you. I just ask you to watch over my daughters. My Hinata is strong, but she will need someone other than her sister to support her when times get tough…and make sure Hanabi doesn't get into too much trouble. I also want you to know that I loved your father, my beloved brother, very much. I never wanted him to go._

Hiashi 

Neji paused after reading the letter, mostly out of respect. His mind was too worried over Hinata to truly think about what that letter contained. He quickly put it away, promising to himself and to Hiashi, that he would sit down later to read and think about it. He walked back into the room to find Hinata exactly where she was when he left. He went to her and gently touched her shoulder.

"Hinata?" But she just shook her head and clung tighter to her father's body.

"Hinata, come on. He's gone." He said gently and while he pried her hands away from Hiashi's body. Hinata looked at Neji with her red eyes and soaked cheeks.

"Oh Neji!" she cried before wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her head onto his shoulder and continued weeping. He held her close to him and swept her off the floor and into his arms. He carried her over to her room only to find it completely empty. He turned towards a servant passing in the hallway.

"Where…" he started, but the woman had already guessed his question.

"Follow me." She said. She led him to a larger room. "This is for you both." She told him before leaving.

He gently placed Hinata on the bed, and went to lie down next to her. He cradled her into his arms and rocked her gently, caressing her back and kissing her hair. A long while later Hinata eventually calmed down enough to fall asleep, exhausted from all her crying. Neji, also experiencing the emotional highs and lows of the day, soon followed suit and fell asleep with Hinata still in his arms.

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Hours later Hinata woke up, her eyes feeling dry and puffy. She looked around to find herself in a room that was unfamiliar to her, but she also found herself in Neji's arms, so she quickly dismissed the room from her mind. As she went to lay her head back down on his chest, she felt something crackle, like paper. She opened his kimono to find two envelopes; she put the one with Neji's name on the desk besides the bed. She then sat up and read the one addressed to her.

_Hinata,_

_My daughter, my first born, did you know that when you were born I was afraid to hold you? You were so small, so delicate, I was scared that I would hold you too tightly and crush you or I would hold you too loosely and drop you. Because of that fear, I never held you in my arms, I never held you close. I hope that one day you can forgive your weak father for allowing that fear to rule him. Hinata, I want to tell you how sorry I am for being too weak to tell you, show you, how much I loved you, how proud I am of you. You may think that I forced you to marry Neji because I wanted to hurt you or because I thought him better qualified to run the family, but the truth is that the council would not allow me to name you heir, unless you were married to him. Yes Hinata, I want you to lead this family. Only you have the strength, the heart, to bring about the changes that are needed in our family._

_My sweet gentle Hinata, you are so much like your mother. You both posses the inner strength and courage of the heart that Hanabi and I lack. Believe in your strength Hinata, and they will never fail you. I believe in you._

_Your Father,_

_Hiashi_

Tears splattered onto her letter before she realized that she was crying. She closed her eyes and held the letter to her breast, close to her heart. How could he do this to her? He could he tell her all the things she's longed to hear from him, and then leave her? How could he tell her her whole life that she wasn't fit to be heir and then tell her that, as the new head of the Hyuuga clan, he believed that she could evoke such changes? _I…I feel so weak, powerless; how could I do what he wants me to do? How could I be as strong as he says I am?_

Suddenly she felt a warm gentle hand caress her check and a soft pair of lips kiss her forehead. She gasped as her eyes snapped openand she saw another pair of pale eyes stare back at her. A pair of eyes that, right now, held such love. Neji didn't say anything as he gently pulled her towards him and into his arms.

Seeing her pain-filled eyes, he couldn't help but to hold her. How he wished he could take that pain away from her. But he felt all he could do was hold her, comfort her, support her. However, that way enough, exactly what she needed right now. She closed her eyes as she embraced him back, pressing her ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat as tears continued falling from her eyes. But this time they weren't tears of despair and hopelessness, they were tears of grief. Tears for the loss of her father and the love he couldn't give her, the love they couldn't share.

Neji just held her close as she cried silently against him for hours. Every now and then he would kiss her hair and stroke her back. He knew that she needed this, needed to cry it all out, but every tear that fell from her eyes felt like acid on his heart. But he knew the pain he was feeling now was nothing compared to what she was feeling. When, finally, there were no more tears to cry, Hinata once again fell asleep in Neji's arms. And even in her sleep Neji continued to hold her. He just couldn't get enough of touching her. For years he's always dreamed of holding her in his arms, and now that he had the freedom to, took his breath away. She felt so sweet in his arms; she was like one of those healing ointments she made, soothing his heart and soul.

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The funeral for Hyuuga Hiashi was held a few days after his death. There were enormous amounts of people who attended. But because of the way he would treat people, they were mostly there out of respect, they were not going to miss him. They did feel pity though for his daughters. Everyone knew about the kind and sweet Hyuuga Hinata and the strong and talented Hyuuga Hanabi, who wasn't as kind as her sister but wasn't exactly like her father either. However as they gazed at the sisters they thought; maybe 'pity' would be the wrong word. For both of them stood tall and proud, neither of them shedding any tears, but their eyes still reflecting pain.

Hinata stared at her father's tombstone, her face and eyes expressionless, and her mind numb. It was to be the worst day of her life. Her father's funeral in the morning and the little ceremony that officially made her head of the family in the afternoon. But it was difficult to think of the future, she felt as if her world was falling apart. She felt Neji at her side and though it was a comfort, it did not ease her fears or her pain. How could she take her father's place? She didn't know the first thing about running a family. She felt lost and didn't know what to do.

Neji stood by her, watching her. She was so distant, he didn't know what to do, how to reach her. She had shown him the letter that Hiashi wrote her. It didn't do anything to ease the anger he had for him though. How could he act like her was training Hanabi to lead, when he knew he wasn't going to let her? He didn't teach Hinata anything, just left her to her own devices. And now here she was, in a daze, in a world of her own.

The funeral service, the cremation, the many people that offered their condolences; they all passed by in a blur. She could hardly remember anything from it. All she could feel was herself drowning in her grief and her misgivings. She tried searching for a light, a beacon of some kind to save her; but could find none. It was as if the world was put on mute and slow motion. She couldn't hear anything; it was as if she wasn't even there. She could see the hours pass by, she could see herself getting dressed for the ceremony. She could see Hanabi slowly wrap her arms around her, giving her a rare hug. Then suddenly things sped up, going faster and faster. She couldn't keep up. Then next thing she knew she was named head of the Hyuuga clan. And suddenly it was over; people were going back to their homes. But the elders and council members stayed. They were looking at her and Hanabi. Neji shook her shoulder, she slowly looked at him and then she heard it.

"We regret it, but it's tradition. Hanabi-sama, you must be branded. You must wear the seal."

Neji could see the transformation in Hinata's eyes. All day they held no emotion, no life; it was as if Hiashi took Hinata's soul with him when he died. But then he saw it, a spark of life, a spark of fire in her eyes. She snapped her head back to look at the elders, council members, and her sister. A un-Hinata like scowl on her face.

"What did you say?" she asked quietly.

"She is to wear the caged bird seal and made a Branch member." An elder stated matter-of-factly. Hinata turned to look at her sister, a glimmer of fear ran across her face, but it was fleeting as she kept her head held high. Hinata could never remember seeing fear in Hanabi's eyes before and now that it had, it angered her.

"No." she said softly, as she stared at the elder that spoke to her. All the elders frowned and started whispering amongst themselves. Neji smiled inwardly, his heart soaring at her show of bravery and defiance.

"What do you mean 'no'? It's tradition. It had always been done, and it will always be done!" he argued. But Hinata just clenched her fists, refusing to back down.

"Not anymore." She said, staring down the elder. Servants, Branch house member, gathered behind the closed door, intently listening to the confrontation. All of their support, hopes, and dreams riding on their new family head.

"Your father would have done it." The elder sneered; hitting the sore spot he knew was there. Hinata gasped; she could feel her courage leaving her and then darkness that was receding come back full force. She was about to lower her eyes in defeat when she felt Neji's hand interlace with hers. She turned to look at him; a corner of his mouth lifted, giving her a small smile while he squeezed her hand in his. It was as if he was taking her into his protective embrace, fighting off the darkness. He was her light, her beacon, her savior. She turned back to the sneering elder and used the courage and strength Neji was giving her.

"Well my father is gone. I am the head of this family now. And I say there shall be no more branding of the seal ever again." She ordered.

"But you can't just…"

"Unless **you** would like to be branded for going against **me**." She threatened. The elder gulped, this didn't seem like the weak Hinata he always thought her to be. He trembled with fear and anger as he lowered himself, touching his forehead to the floor, bowing deeply before her.

"Forgive me Hinata-sama." He gritted out. She looked up and eyed the other elders and council members. They all slowly bent in half bowing to her, ready to follow where she was going to lead them. After that, there was never a Hyuuga that was branded with the cadged bird seal ever again.

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AN: Woah, talk about setting a different mood, huh? lol. Sorry if Hiashi was really OC but I'm just one of those gals that MUST have a happy ending, and though killing off Hiashi is not really 'happy' I needed him to make up with everyone before he left...ya know what I mean? Anyways, I hope you somewhat enjoyed the chapter. Sorry about not going into detail in terms of the funeral and the ceremony, I don't know how it would be conducted, and if I tried imagining a way, I'd prolly kill it. I also hate to inform you all that the next chapter will unfortunately be the last. But you guys have been AWESOME! I loved reading all your reviews, you guys are the ONLY reason why I continued writing this story. If it were just for me, I would have never even bothered writing Chapter 2 and so on. So I really hope that all of you have thoroughly enjoy reading my story. Thank you again for all the support.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_"Forgive me Hinata-sama." He gritted out. She looked up and eyed the other elders and council members. They all slowly bent in half bowing to her, ready to follow where she was going to lead them. After that, there was never a Hyuuga that was branded with the cadged bird seal ever again._

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Two months later, the atmosphere in the Hyuuga compound was already very different. There was less tension in the air; everyone seemed more relaxed and less on edge. There were still training lessons and discipline learning, but the Branch family felt as if they were now given the freedom to be happy. Hinata, at the moment, was in the dojo training with Hanabi. Ever since her father's letter Hinata's confidence in her fighting abilities increased tenfold. Though she still wasn't as fast or as strong as her sister, she strategized better, waiting for the best moments to attack.

Hinata was panting heavily, just barely missing an attack from Hanabi, but she had a smile on her face; Hanabi was rapidly getting tired too. Suddenly a servant walked in and interrupted their sparring match.

"Excuse me Hinata-sama, but you have an urgent phone call." Hinata nodded, catching her breath.

"If you can figure out, by the time I come back, how I could have beaten you in two moves, we'll finish training for today." She told Hanabi as she started walking out of the dojo.

"What!? You couldn't have beaten me in two moves! I _so_ had you!" Hanabi yelled. Hinata paused to turn and look back at Hanabi, gave her a small smirk and then continued on her way.

"Damn it! Could she really have beaten me in two moves?" Hanabi wondered, as Hinata went to retrieve her phone call.

"Hello?"

"H-Hi-Hinata?" asked a crying woman on the other line.

"Sakura?" Hinata asked, surprised.

"C-can y-yo-you please, c-come to the h-ho-hospital? I n-ne-need you." Sakura asked Hianta.

"Of course, I'll be over in a flash." Hinata told her before hanging up and quickly made her way back to the dojo.

"Hanabi, I have to go to the hospital." Hanabi looked up, surprised.

"Why? What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't know, but Sakura was in tears when she called to ask me to come over. I'll be back soon. Take over for me." Hinata said quickly before leaving. When she got to the hospital, Sakura ran into her arms, crying hysterically. Hinata held her close, worried about her dear friend.

"Sakura what's wrong? What happened?" Hinata asked her.

"I c-can't l-lose him! I-I don't k-know w-what I'd d-do if I l-lose him." Sakura cried while her body shook with the force of her weeping. Hinata tightened her arms around her and rocked her gently. Minutes later Naruto walked into the hallway. He walked over to them and gently placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Sakura…I'm sorry, I'm sorry I couldn't protect him." But Sakura just continued crying against Hinata, not even acknowledging he was there.

"Naruto, what happened?" Hinata asked him softly. He, too, looked like he was about to cry; he was so full of guilt.

"Lee and I just got back from a mission. We ran into some problems though. We were both fighting to protect a small village, but we got separated." He paused, not wanting to go on. Hinata saw the pain and guilt in his eyes; she reached up and gently touched his shoulder. Silently asking him to go on.

"He opened up seven celestial gates to fight his opponent. He was in the process of opening the eighth when I was able to come back and help him. I was able to stop him from fully opening the eighth gate, but opening seven took a major toll on his body." He told her.

"A-and th-they d-don't t-th-think they c-can s-sa-save him!" Sakura cried as tears continued streaming down her face. Hinata pulled Sakura's head back down to her shoulder and continued holding and rocking her. But she kept her eyes on Naruto; she was worried about him. She could tell; he thought it was all his fault for the condition Lee was in right now.

Hours later when Sakura finally fell asleep on one of the couches in the waiting room, Hinata made her way over to sit next to Naruto. He had his face buried in his hands when she gently touched his shoulder.

"It's all my fault." He whispered. Hinata felt her eyes tear up; she had never seen him like this before.

"He's dying because of me." He said softly.

"No." Hinata told him fervently while she wrapped her arms about him.

"You saved him. If he pulls through this, it will be because you saved him." She told him urgently, trying to get him to believe it. He stared at her, a tiny spark of hope in his eyes.

"You believe in me that much Hinata?" she caressed his cheek and smiled softly.

"I've always believed in you." she said quietly with a small blush. He gave her a wobbly smile as he allowed her to pull him into her healing embrace.

"Thank you Hinata." He whispered, she just smiled, glad that she could help the man she once loved. Moments later Tsunade came out to them. Hinata went over to gently wake Sakura up. Tsundae looked them over, fatigued.

"We were able to stabilize him, but he's still in critical condition." She told them. Sakura paled and dropped her head, but then looked up when someone gripped her shoulder and was surprised when it was Kakashi she saw. It was like he showed up out of nowhere. Sakura's bottom lip trembled when she realized that he was here to support her.

"Sakura." Tsunade said to get her attention again.

"He might not make it through the night. If he can, he'll be fine. But all odds are against him. I'm sorry." She told her apprentice. Sakura bit her lip and tried to hold back the tears.

"H-he'll make it." She stated aloud.

"But Sakura…" Kakashi started.

"He'll make it!" she yelled before she crumbled in a crying heap. Hinata ran to her and steered her back to the couch. When Sakura was exhausted from her crying and once again fell asleep, Kakashi walked over to Hinata.

"Why don't you go on home Hianta." He told her.

"But…" she looked back at Sakura. Kakashi nodded, then looked out the darkened window.

"Hhmm poor Sakura. Can you imagine what it's like? What if it were Neji?" he wondered aloud. Hinata's eyes widened and she gasped. She froze as those words swarmed though her mind. She suddenly stood up and bolted out the door. Hinata ran all the way back to the compound. As soon as she got there she spotted Hanabi.

"Hanabi, is Neji back from his mission yet?!" Hinata asked quickly, looking panicked. Hanabi frowned as she heard Hinata's shrill voice.

"Well…yeah. He's…" she was cut off as Hinata left her standing there, "…in your room." She finished to herself.

Neji sighed; _it's good to be back home._ He'd been gone for two weeks on a mission and he just got back. He walked out of the bathroom with just a towel around his waist and drying his hair when Hinata suddenly burst in. He looked up with a smile, but didn't have a chance to say hi because as soon as Hinata spotted him she ran towards him and threw herself into his arms, knocking him back onto their bed.

"Hinata what…" but she didn't allow him to speak as she kissed him hungrily. She wrapped her arms around his neck as her tongue dove into his mouth. Neji wrapped his arms around her as his tongue tangles with hers. As her mouth slowly left his, sucking gently on his bottom lip she moved her hips softly against his, feeling his aroused state.

She kissed his cheeks, the tip of his nose, his eyes, and then burned a hot path down to his neck. There she ran her tongue across his pulse point and sucked gently. Neji's heart was beating quickly, closing his eyes and letting her have her way with him. Hinata ran her hands across his chest and stroked his stomach. Her mouth soon followed her hands and as she was kissing and licking his torso her hands soon relieved him of the towel around his waist. Reaching down, she ran her hand along the length of him and her fingers gently massaged his tip. Neji's breath became labored and sweat began to dot his forehead. Her mouth and tongue got lower and lower. He lifted his head, panting.

"Hinata, you don't…" he was cut off as she took him into her mouth. His head rolled back and moaned, his hands fisted in the sheets. Neji felt as if he couldn't breath when she applied suction while sliding her mouth up and down the length of him. When she added her tongue to the mix he groaned loudly and brought his hands to her head, trying to put more of himself into her hot wet mouth. His body jerked and he felt like he was about to burst when she gently grated her teeth against him. He just couldn't stand it anymore. Neji pulled her up roughly and tore at her clothes while he kissed her with such passion it took her breath away. In a matter of seconds she was naked and under him.

"Hinata I need you." he whispered hotly into her ear before he spread her legs and thrusted himself into her. Hinata gasped with pleasure and wrapped her legs around his waist. The feel of her smooth soft legs around him drove him crazy. He pumped himself into her with sure steady thrusts while Hinata grated her nails along his back and kissed him hotly.

Neji's head was spinning with desire as she rocked her hips strongly against his. When they usually made love, she would respond wonderfully to him, but this time it seemed different. It was as if he somehow unleashed a wild part of her; her responses were wilder, hotter, hungrier. He didn't know what triggered the change, but he certainly wasn't going to complain. Soon their bodies were slick with sweat. Hinata reached up and pulled Neji down to her, bringing her lips close to his ear.

"Neji…faster…deeper, please." She panted, wanting more, needing more. Neji immediately obeyed the temptress in his arms. Their pace quickened as he dove into her faster and deeper. He could feel her legs tighten around his waist.

Hinata soon went up in flames, Neji plunged into her with quick deep thrusts, mimicking and prolonging the orgasm that was taking over her body. Seconds later he deeply thrusted into her one last time as his mind was blind to any other sensation when he released into her. Both felt as if they skyrocketed to the stars and then slowly floated back down to Earth. Limp from their lovemaking, both trying to just catch their breath. Once Neji regained his strength he lifted up, about to remove himself from her, when she stopped him.

"Not yet…please. I love the feel of you in me." She told him with a blush. He smiled down at her and kissed her sweetly as he rolled onto his back taking her with him so that they were still joined. She put her head down on his chest, listening to his heartbeats.

"Well that was the best 'Welcome Home' response I've ever received." He said, making her giggle. She looked up at his smiling face; he loved hearing her laugh. But soon her laughter and smile faded, looking troubled.

"What is it?" he asked, caressing her cheek.

"Oh Neji, I'm so blind! I'm such an idiot!" she cried, burying her head into his chest.

"No you're not." He told her, stroking her hair.

"Yes I am! I…" she paused, "Lee-kun is in the hospital right now." She felt his body stiffen and looked up to see his worried face.

"He opened seven celestial gates. Tsunade-sama doesn't know if he'll make it." She told him softly,

"He will." Neji said.

"Huh?"

"He'll pull through. He wouldn't leave his dear Sakura alone." He told her with confidence.

"You should have seen her." Hinata said quietly as tears started to form in her eyes.

"She was so scared and worried at the thought of losing him…And then…and then Kakashi-san asked what if it were you?" she said as a tear rolled down her cheek. Neji just watched her, staying silent, and gently wiping away that stray tear.

"Neji, I'm such a fool. It wasn't until then that I realized how much I love you." she looked up and told him. Neji froze, his hand stilled on her back. She looked at him, his eyes wide with shock. Then his eyes softened as he gently pulled her to him and lightly caressed his lips with his, a bear whisper of a kiss.

"I love you." he whispered before claiming her mouth with his own. Hinata's heart leapt with joy as she kissed him back with all the love in her heart.

"Do you know how long I've waited to hear those words from you?" he asked her when he pulled back.

"How long?" she asked while caressing his cheek. Neji turned his head to place a kiss in her palm.

"Years." She smiled, then suddenly gasped and sat up.

"I almost forgot!" she cried, while Neji propped himself up on his elbows.

"What?" she smiled and pushed him back down.

"It's a surprise." She said mischievously. Neji smiled back as he reached up to fondle her breasts.

"You're just full of surprises today." He said with a smirk. But she swatted his hands away.

"Not yet." She said; he frowned.

"Now close your eyes." She told him. He lifted a questioning brow.

"Close your eyes." She gently ordered him with a smile. He sighed then obeyed her. Hinata smiled as she gathered her chakra and made a rapid series of hand signals, performing a complicated jutsu. Then he felt her lightly touch his forehead, he frowned when a warmth spread across his forehead, but kept his eyes closed. Moments later the warmth faded.

"Can I open my eyes now?" he asked impatiently.

"Yes." She said with a bright smile. He opened his eyes to see her looking excited.

"What?" he asked her with slight annoyance. He hated being in the dark.

"Wait right here." Hinata told him before she got off of him and rushed to the bathroom, not bothering to put some clothes on. He sat up waiting for her; seconds later she ran back and sat next to him.

"Here." She said holding out a hand mirror. He just looked at her, not taking the mirror.

"Would you look?!" she asked him excitedly. Neji sighed taking the mirror.

"I don't know what you want me to…see." He said, his eyes suddenly widening. He didn't look any different, but then he suddenly noticed that his forehead was clear. The seal was gone! He quickly turned his head to see Hinata smiling widely and giggling.

"I…I was going through some old scrolls talking about the seal. It's origin, how to mark someone, how it worked, everything about it. Through those, I was able to figure out a jutsu to remove it." She told him while she took the mirror from him and placed it on the table beside their bed. When she turned back to him she found him still starring at her like she had three heads. It wasn't exactly the response she was expecting; she started to fidget.

"I…I thought you would like it." She said quietly, lowering her head. The next thing she knew she was on her back with Neji on top of her, holding her tightly and kissing her deeply. When he finally lifted his lips from hers, she smiled.

"You're welcome." She said on a sigh. He chuckled while he proceeded to show her how thankful he was.

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**Epilogue**

**10 years later:**

Just like Neji said, Lee was able to make a full recovery, claiming that he would never leave his precious Sakura. They eventually ended up having three children; all of who, thankfully, did not inherit their father's eyebrows.

Ino and Choji eventually got married, she is currently pregnant with their second child. Sakura still teases Ino saying that at eight months pregnant; she looks just like her husband.

Sasuke is currently in the market for a wife to help his restore his clan. Only to find that all the women he would have chosen were already married. At a lost for what to do, he went over to the Hyuuga compound and proposed a marriage contract between Hanabi and himself. Unfortunately all he got was a quick punch to the face from Hanabi as she said that her heart already belonged to someone else.

Naruto has been Hokage for three years now, slowly gaining respect from all the villagers. He is now making it his personal mission to find Sasuke a wife, since Sasuke seems to have trouble finding one.

Meanwhile Hinata was currently in the garden admiring the flowers and gently stroking her large pregnant belly, while rocking her sleeping one year old son, Keitaro, in her arms. She smiled as she watched her eldest son, Hizashi who was nine, teaching his younger seven year old twin siblings, Michiko and Makoto, the new ninja techniques he's recently learned. She turned when she heard someone walking towards her, and smiled as she saw Neji carrying their five year old son, Sho, and their three year old daughter, Tamiko.

He put them down so they could go play, then turned to Hinata; his wife, his beloved, his angel. He kissed her gently then moved to hold her from behind. She sighed as she leaned back against him.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked her moments later. She snuggled closer to him, a serene smile gracing her lips.

"When I first fell in love with you." she said.

"Oh? And when was that?" he asked her while he kissed her temple and stroked her stomach. She giggled as she remembered the time.

"It was when I told you my favorite flowers were daisies and you were having such a difficult time telling me that I was just like them." He chuckled, remembering that time too. A time when he had difficulty expressing his feelings to her, he had no such troubles now however.

"I can remember the first time I fell in love with you too." He said, kissing her neck softly.

"Hhmmm really?" Hinata asked, closing her eyes and tilting her head to give him better access. Neji chuckled at her response, but inside he felt humbled. That after all this time, after so many kids, she would still respond to his touch the same way she did ten years ago. _Will I ever get enough of this woman?_

"Yes." He said trailing kisses up her neck to her cheek, where he stopped to look at her.

"It was fourteen years ago, on the anniversary of my father's death." Hinata covered his hand with hers as she twisted to look at him. She knew that it was always a sad day for him, even now.

"I was in the woods, sitting in a tree, alone. You were taking a break from training and went to admire the wild flowers. You picked a few and then tied them together before walking over to the tree I was in. You placed them on the ground and looked up at me…and smiled." Neji paused to kiss her smiling lips.

"Your smile seemed to fill my dark day with light. It was your smile. Your bright beautiful smile."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

AN: Oh my gosh! I can't believe it's over! This is the first story I've ever written that I actually finished! YAY! It was all thanks to you, my lovely wonderful awesome reviewers! You all make me SO happy! I hope you thoroughly enjoyed my story. And here are some "clear ups" in case anyone got confused.

I honestly don't know WHO Hanabi is in love with, I was going to put Konahamaru, but since I didn't mention him in my story, I left it open. So pair her up with whomever you want to pair her up with.

Neji and Hinata have 7 children in 10 years. In order they are: Hizashi (9 yrs), Michiko and Makoto (7 yrs, twins), Sho (5 yrs), Tamiko (3 yrs), Keitaro (1 yr), and Yuriko (isn't born yet, didn't mention her name in story). And don't worry about poor Hinata, Yuriko is the last, no more children after that. I know I know, I was crazy to give her SEVEN kids, but….but…I don't know that's what I did.


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